


Sights Unseen

by Shasalin



Series: Sights Unseen [1]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Flashbacks, Friendship, Gen, Loneliness, M/M, Slice of Life, Slow Build, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Time Skips, Youkai
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-11-16 15:42:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 29,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11255979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shasalin/pseuds/Shasalin
Summary: “You can see them too?” Noctis looked up at Prompto hopefully.“Yes,” the blonde hadn’t thought before he said it; he only wanted the child to feel better. “Not everyone can see youkai, so not everyone will understand—but I understand you. You don’t have to feel lonely anymore, now that you know I’m here for you.”Noctis wrapped his arms as far around the youkai’s legs as he could, “And you don’t have to be lonely either, because you have me.”





	1. You Again: Part One

**Author's Note:**

> I'm looking forward to sharing another Promptis fic on here! This was fun to write, despite how angsty the tags make it sound.
> 
> The original inspiration (and by that I mean my take on youkai in this) came from the anime Natsume Yuujinchou, but it's not necessary to have seen it to know what's going on. But if you have seen it, you'll probably see similarities to some episodes, which is more coincidental than intentional.

Noctis was back. He hadn’t seen his hometown since he left ten years prior. _Left_ was the nice was to put it, he thought; it wasn’t as though he had a choice in the matter. One thing had led to another—his father had died when he was still a child, and his father’s friends were unable to make arrangements to have him stay in town. So they let him go to foster care, and Noctis left.

Inevitably, he caused trouble for the families who were kind enough to take him in. He never meant for it to happen—but his intentions made no difference in the end. The damage was done, and the families each had their breaking point. That would be when he moved to the next, hoping that next time would be different.

This time, Noctis, _really_ hoped it would be different.

He walked along the road toward the high school, where he was starting as a first year. It was a solitary journey; other students passed him without incident. On a stretch of road where he found himself alone, though, something caught his eye.

 _Someone,_ he corrected himself, stopping to get a better look. Someone, a blonde in a soft yellow yukata with his back to Noctis, was whimpering as he searched the bushes along the tree line off from the road. Noctis was no stranger to odd happenstances like this, and he felt a tug at his core that reminded him of what it always meant.

 _Not this time,_ Noct vowed to himself. He would not get involved in this youkai’s business.

Noctis tightened his grip on his school bag as he carried on, glancing at the youkai in his periphery as he ran off further into the trees. The boy shook his head and sighed—he wished he didn’t have to be the one to see them. They have brought him nothing but misery. A frown settled into the lines around his mouth for the rest of his walk to school.

Once he was there, he went to the office to obtain his schedule and didn’t stop to talk to anybody. There wasn’t anyone waiting to see him anyway—he moved away while the rest of them stayed together. Even if this was his hometown, Noctis had no real ties to the place.

Noct told himself maybe that was a good thing. Getting attached wasn’t something he knew how to do. He was likely to mess it up. In his mind, it was almost a guarantee.

Noctis took his seat at his desk and settled in for a day of classes. He had always liked school for the distraction that it gave him. Simply being in the building gave him some semblance of safety; having lived in both cities and small towns, Noctis learned that youkai from the outskirts of small towns rarely ventured inward—despite the fact they could not be seen, they were skittish around humans.

But Noct knew from experience that there would always be the ones that weren’t afraid, that could practically sense his ability to see them, and they would find him anywhere.

Noctis shuddered and kept his eyes turned away from the window.

The day passed without incident, and soon enough it was time to walk home again. Noct had managed to forget about the youkai he saw that morning until he saw him again on the way back. He paused to watch the youkai search the same spot, this time hearing clipped sentences like, “Where is it?” added to the sounds of distress.

Noctis groaned inwardly. It was obvious that he had lost something, and Noct knew youkai were nothing if not fiercely sentimental. He had known them to be violent when upset, and this one has been searching the entire day without luck. Noct knew it was in everyone’s best interest if he helped him find whatever he had lost.

He knew, but he didn’t like it.

With a cursory glance around to assure himself that no one else was near, Noct walked over to the youkai that still had his head in the foliage, unaware of the person behind him. Noct cleared his throat, but it didn’t register for the other. His heart had already picked up, nervous by the close proximity alone. “Hey,” he said through his fraying nerves, not loud enough to change anything, so he took a deep breath and said louder, “ _Hey._ ”

The youkai started at the voice and spun around, tripping over his own feet and landing in the bushes he had been looking in. “You scared me,” he stated, as if it weren’t obvious.

“Yeah, sorry about that,” Noct replied succinctly. “Did you lose something?”

“Uh, yeah, I lost…” the youkai split his attention between talking and struggling to stand up. “I lost… a handkerchief, that I borrowed. I can’t lose it; I need to give it back.” The blonde was hopeless to find purchase on the bush, and so Noctis offered a hand to help him up. The youkai looked at it hesitantly before taking it. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” Noct said as he started to pull him up. Before he brought the other to his feet, though, a memory long since forgotten made its way to the forefront of his mind.

> A boy in his late teens held out a hand; Noctis’ smaller one was engulfed as he was lifted from the ground.

Noct paused in his actions, leaving the youkai dangling from his hand as he remembered more.

> A handkerchief was handed to him so that he could clear his eyes of tears. A voice next to him spoke through a sad smile:
> 
> “Sometimes, I feel lonely too.”

“Is… everything okay?” the youkai asked. Noctis recognized it as the same voice.

The teen loosened his grip, and the blond fell back to where he was with a noise of protest. “It’s you…” Noct said under his breath, taking a step back.

The youkai slid himself to the ground and got to his feet, “Me?” He took a step closer to Noctis.

“Stay away from me!” Noct cried, startling the youkai before he took off down the road, not looking back.

Confused by the encounter, the blonde watched his retreating form, and it felt like it reminded him of something from long ago.

> “Stay away! Monster!” the dark-haired child shoved Prompto back and ran away, crying harder than he had when Prompto had found him. He supposed that was what he deserved for lying to the human.

Prompto’s eyes widened with realization as he whispered to himself, “It’s you.”


	2. You Again: Part Two

Noctis didn’t stop running until his body was aching from the effort. He walked the rest of the way, not wanting to even think about that run-in. Everywhere he had ended up had youkai, but he never had to return to a place he had been before—he never had to face the same youkai a second time.

He shut the door to the house behind him and sighed. He told himself that he should have listened to his gut instinct, which said to never get involved. It didn’t matter if that youkai didn’t recognize him; either way, he still knew that Noct could see him.

He went to his room and sat at his desk, pulling out his books and assignments. It did no good to dwell on the fact, and he tried his whole life to ignore their presence—he couldn’t obsess over it, over _one_ youkai. He would move on, like he always did.

Homework took the better part of two hours, but it was a good diversion in the quiet house. The time was nearing six in the evening, and Noctis wondered what he would do about dinner. Probably something simple, if it was to be just him tonight.

Noctis stood and stretched, but his movements halted when he heard noises coming from the front of the house. For a moment, he thought maybe it wouldn’t be just him, and he went to the door to greet his guardian.

As he got closer, he heard footsteps meander away from the door and around the house, and Noctis grew wary. Why wouldn’t he come straight inside? Noct couldn’t convince himself anymore that he knew who stood on the other side. He hid against the nearest wall to avoid being in line with any windows. That youkai hadn’t follow him home after all, had he?

Noctis opened the nearby hall closet and took out a broom to arm himself with. Gripping the handle tight with both hands gave him something to focus on as he edged his way to the door. He wouldn’t wait to be attacked; he had to show that youkai that he wouldn’t run away scared again.

Noct opened the door and saw the porch empty. He released the breath he was holding and hoped that whatever was out here had left, and as soon as he thought that, something rushed into his sight. Noct let out an undignified shout and swung down the broom’s handle as fast as he could.

“Whoa!” a harsh voice responded, nothing like the youkai from earlier. The man was larger too, standing over Noctis with the broom stopped in his grasp inches from his head. “Don’t know what Cor was so worried about,” the stranger muttered, half to himself, “If it’d been anyone else, you woulda knocked ‘em clean out.”

Noct let go of his end of the broom, which handed it to the other. “Who are you?” he asked, a shake still in his voice that he tried to clear away.

“What, you don’t remember me? Guess it has been a while.” He set the broom against the wall and held out a hand. “It’s Gladio.” Noctis took his hand and shook it—or rather, _was shaken_ with the grip Gladio possessed—but still appeared blank-faced. “Amicitia? … Really, nothin’ ringing any bells?” Gladio sighed when Noct shook his head. “Our dads were friends. We used to go to each other’s houses to play.”

Another memory broke the surface—one where Noctis was crying out while being held in a headlock by a kid only three years older, but already twice his size.

> Their fathers had intervened and freed Noctis, who was now buried in his father’s chest, safe in his hold.
> 
> “Gladiolus,” Clarus scolded his son, “you know Noctis is too young to play that roughly.”
> 
> “He’s just a crybaby,” the eight-year-old crossed his arms.
> 
> “Gladio,” Regis took a gentler approach, “Noctis is younger than you, and he’s small for his age. You could really hurt him if you’re not careful. Can you tell him you’re sorry?”
> 
> Noctis didn’t have to remove his face from his father’s shoulder to know that Gladio had walked away.

“Oh,” Noct answered listlessly. “You.”

“Yeah. Me.”

“What do you want? Did you say Cor was worried?”

“Yeah, I got off work early, so he asked me to stop by and check on you. Also said that he’d be at the station for a few more hours, so you only have to worry about yourself for dinner.”

“So you’re an officer now, too?” Noctis didn’t know why he commented on it—it wasn’t like he particularly cared to catch up on how Gladio had been.

Gladio shrugged half-heartedly, “Wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps. I’m guessing you don’t feel the same?” Noctis turned his gaze to the side. Gladio brought a hand up in concession. “You don’t have to answer that.”

“Wasn’t going to,” Noctis snapped. “Thanks for passing me the message. Have a nice—”

“Ah, so you are back.”

Gladio and Noct both turned to look towards the street, where another stood. Someone who attended the same school as Noct, judging by the uniform he wore. He hefted a bag of groceries in one arm and adjusted his glasses with his free hand. “Iggy,” Gladio waved, “didn’t think I’d run into you today.”

“I’ve been running errands, but I’m on my way home now.” He turned his attention back to Noctis. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I thought I had misheard when I learned that Cor had taken you in.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you’re real glad that I’m back in town, Ignis,” Noctis’ expression darkened, and his voice reflected it.

Ignis maintained his composure, though the discomfort was there. He cleared his throat before he offered, “If you’d like, you’re more than welcome to come dine at my house. I’m sure my parents would not mind hearing from you how you’ve been.”

Noct’s jaw tightened, “I think I’ll pass.”

Ignis conceded, “Very well, then. The offer stands, if you ever change your mind.”

_Don’t think I will,_ Noctis bit his tongue.

“Hey, Iggy, you think I could crash dinner at the Scientia’s instead?” Gladio strolled down to meet Ignis, tossing an arm around his shoulders.

Ignis grumbled, “I’m not sure if I’ve procured enough to feed you _and_ everyone else.” Gladio laughed, but Noctis couldn’t tell whether Ignis was serious or not. “See you around, Noctis,” the student said to him, Gladio mimicking the sentiment, before both of them continued down the street.

Noctis took the broom back inside and shut the door as soon as he could. He slammed a fist into the door with a frustrated grunt before smoothing his palm against it; his forehead soon followed, teeth gritted together. It made him angry that Gladio and Ignis both pretended like they were old friends. It wasn’t so easy for Noctis to willfully forget.

> “You’re always lying to get attention,” seven-year-old Ignis accused, standing up from sitting on the floor with Noctis.
> 
> “I-I’m not lying!” Noctis cried his voice raw in a desperate plea. “It chases me home, and it tells me it’s gonna find a way into the house! _Please_ tell me you can see it!”
> 
> “Everyone already feels sorry for you. My parents say to me over and over that I have to be nice to you. If you have to live with us, the least you can do is stop making stuff up!”

Noctis slid to his knees, head still against the wood, and shut his eyes to prevent the tears that wanted to surface. It was his crying that everyone had a problem with, and he told himself before coming back to this town that he wouldn’t cause the same problem a second time for them. He stood up and put the broom back in its place before heading to the kitchen where he prepared dinner alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promise Noctis won't be feeling sorry for himself the whole time; these first two chapters were just one long day for him. Everything starts moving forward in the next one.


	3. Persistence Is a Virtue

Noctis forgot to set his alarm that night and was woken up by Cor instead. Despite running a little late, he didn’t rush through his morning routine—he didn’t have the energy for it. The rest of his evening consisted of dinner and watching TV until he fell asleep. Cor had come home sometime after he was already out.

And now Noct’s guardian was looking at him with concern as he made his way into the kitchen after his shower, dressed in his uniform. He supposed he couldn’t blame Cor for his worry this morning—he felt terrible, and he knew it showed on his face. On top of yesterday’s occurrences, Noctis had the sinking realization that the youkai would probably be in the same place as before, waiting for him to walk down that road on his way to school.

Cor brought him a full plate and placed the back of his hand against Noct’s forehead. “Do you feel sick? You look pale,” he asked the teen.

“Maybe a little,” Noct answered truthfully. He did his best to eat the breakfast Cor had set out for him anyways.

“Do you want to stay home today? I’ve got another late shift, so I can look after you till noon.”

Noctis was a second away from agreeing. He didn’t feel like facing the world today; staying in and being looked after sounded so appealing, but at the same time, he felt like he would be burdening Cor—so soon after the man had taken him in, too. He couldn’t turn useless the moment a new home had taken him. Noct felt obligated to make this adjustment easy on Cor, just like he was trying to do for Noctis.

“It’s fine,” Noctis shook his head, “I’ll just take it easy.”

Cor paused, but he didn’t press further, only adding, “Be sure that you do. And if you feel like you need to come home early, I’ll come get you.”

He wasn’t planning to do that, but Noctis nodded anyway. He stood, mostly empty plate in hand, and moved to clean it. “Don’t worry about that,” Cor insisted, taking it from him, “I’ll take care of it. You should get going if you don’t want to be late.”

Noct thanked him and wished him a good day before grabbing his bag and heading out the door. His heart moved further and further into his throat the closer he got to the road where he met the youkai. He nearly caved and went back home before he saw a road he thought could be a detour; he may not know this town very well, but it was small, and there weren’t so many roads that he could get lost. So he took it, hoping that it could be the save he needed that morning.

The road winded more than he anticipated, and Noct ended up being much later than he might have been had he taken the normal route. His teacher chastised him, and Noct expected that Cor would find out about it. Noct held his head in his hands after he took his seat.

When lunch came around, it dawned on Noctis that he hadn’t made anything for himself. But he saw, tucked into a pocket that was usually zipped closed, a few bills that had been placed into his bag by another. Noct’s chest tightened with a good feeling—he’d have to thank Cor later.

He went to the cafeteria and got in line. After he got his lunch and was going to head back to his classroom to eat, but he was intercepted by a familiar face. “Noctis,” Ignis called.

Noct badly wanted to pretend he didn’t hear, but he made the mistake of looking over at Ignis. He stopped, not really holding eye contact as he replied with, “Hey.”

Ignis was silent for a moment, and Noct wondered if it would have been okay to walk away at that point. “I was wondering if you’d like to have lunch together,” he finally proffered. “Somewhere quieter, of course.”

He could’ve declined, but eating lunch with Ignis still sounded less lonely than while staring out a window. Noct nodded, “Sure,” and followed Ignis’ lead. The third year went into the library and sat down at a table far in the back, not that any of the closer ones were occupied, and began to unpack his lunch. “I didn’t know you could eat in here,” Noctis commented as he did the same.

“You can’t, not really, but I aid the librarian in my free period, and she allows me to eat and study here during lunch. She won’t mind if I bring another, such as yourself.”

Noctis already liked it better than when he had eaten alone in his classroom the day before. It sounded to him like Ignis didn’t like being disturbed during lunch on normal occasions—he figured the two of them could share this place without getting in each other’s way starting tomorrow.

For the first few minutes, neither of them tried to make conversation. Noctis almost felt okay with the situation until he remembered who exactly it was who sat across from him. He had to ask himself if it was fair to continue to judge Ignis based on his words as a seven-year-old, but Noct firmly knew that the feelings he had as a five-year-old were still as legitimate today as they were then—so would Ignis’ harsh treatment not be subject to the same belief?

The more he thought about it, the faster his sick feeling from that morning came back.

“Noctis,” Ignis said soberly, looking directly at him. Noct could tell that Ignis was having the same thoughts he was, and he didn’t know if he wanted to voice them yet—or ever. “I know that I have a lot to atone for, regarding our friendship as children.”

Noct snorted, “‘Friendship’? Is that what you call it?” Part of him knew that he was being difficult now just for the sake of it, but it was buried beneath the part of him that didn’t care. “You told me your parents made you be nice to me.”

Ignis bowed his head, “I did, and that’s precisely what I wish to make up for. You were a child going through an excruciatingly hard time, and when I could have done something to help, I failed. In fact, I made it worse. Had I been the friend you needed, perhaps a portion of your hardships could have been avoided.”

“Your parents didn’t give me to foster care because the two of us didn’t get along.” Noctis felt like now was as good a time as any to push his new narrative, “You said it yourself back then—I made stuff up, and they got tired of dealing with it.”

“Perhaps if I had taken you seriously, you would have been less scared.”

The words gave Noctis pause. Ignis watched him, unwavering, and Noct couldn’t understand why. He scoffed, “Why would you have believed me? You were right—I acted out for attention.”

“And there nothing more to it?” Ignis phrased it as a question, which caused Noctis to raise a brow.

“Of course there isn’t.” Noct shoved the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth and stood up. “I’m gonna get back to class.”

He had already turned to walk away when Ignis said, “I’m glad we had the chance to talk.”

Noctis gave a hum in acknowledgement, neither agreeing nor dissenting. He never wanted to bring up the topic of youkai with Ignis again. He had been barely old enough to vocalize what he could see, and he was still too young to know that he was alone in it. Ignis had convinced him that it was all in his head, which he believed until the first time he was physically harmed by one.

> Ignis came home from school by himself. Noctis had run ahead, not before saying he was being chased by a monster. He had to hold his tongue, as much as he didn’t like it, and let the younger get it out of his system. His parents kept telling him Noct would eventually calm down.
> 
> He heard crying from the kitchen, and upon entering, he saw Noctis standing on a chair by the sink, an arm under the running water. “What are you doing?” Ignis asked.
> 
> Noct turned to him, showing scratch marks down his left arm. “It grabbed me. You said it was fake, but it hurt!”
> 
> Ignis clicked his tongue and said without thinking, “You did that to yourself, didn’t you?”
> 
> “Why would I do that?!”
> 
> “How should I know? You’re the one with the problem!”

Instead of taking the hint, Noctis had only tried harder to prove to Ignis that everything he saw was real. It was something he did for the first few homes he had been placed in. The frequency of his transfers eased up once he learned to keep it a secret, but bad luck involving youkai never failed to catch up with him no matter where he went.

Noctis didn’t want to think about his previous homes anymore. All he wanted to do was get to his current one, but the same issue from the morning presented itself. Take the long detour and avoid the blonde youkai, or prepare to run passed him if necessary?

Noct sighed and opted for the shorter route. He was in no mood for scenic walks. The best he could hope for was to pass by that spot at a time when the youkai was absent.

He was not so lucky—the youkai was there, sitting at the base of a tree. Noctis watched him out of the corner of his eye as he tried to casually walk by. He seemed lost in thought; Noct thought he might actually go unnoticed. But then the youkai looked up, and Noctis outwardly groaned.

“H-Hey!” the blonde waved his hand and stood up. He started to run across the street towards Noctis, and instinct overcame the teen, who picked up his pace. “Wait!”

“Go away!” Noct shouted back, hoping to deter him. Something collided with his back and toppled him over. He knew it was the youkai who was holding him down by the back of his shoulders. “Get off of me!”

“ _No,_ not until I can talk to you!”

Noct grunted from the weight on his back, tossing his head to the other side. Head level with the ground, his eyes focused on something caught in the bushes. Was that… a handkerchief? Whatever it was, it was an out, Noctis figured. The youkai wouldn’t care about him if he was too caught up in finding his belonging. “Over there,” Noct extended his arm to point at the object, “I see the handkerchief.”

“Nuh-uh!” The youkai threw himself further onto Noct, bringing his chest to his back and held Noctis’ arms down. “I’m not falling for that!”

“I’m not trying to trick you,” Noctis struggled to take in a breath beneath the pressure. “It’s really there.”

The youkai placed his head on top of Noct’s to look in the same direction, cheeks pressed together. “Oh, it is really there.” Noctis took a moment to recover once the blonde stood to retrieve the pocket square. His joints ached, and some cracked as he slowly raised himself to his knees. “I’m sorry,” the youkai told him worryingly, “I didn’t hurt you, did I? I always forget how fragile humans are.”

Noctis shook his head, kneading a shoulder with one hand, “It’s fine. It’s just old injuries.” He wanted to change the subject, and he looked at the pale pink fabric that the youkai clutched close. “I’m glad you found it.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, me too… But I still don’t know how to get it back to her.”

Noct frowned, “You had that when we met.” The youkai flinched, not expecting him to be the one to bring it up the past first. He stayed quiet, and Noct continued, “That was a decade ago. Are you sure she wanted it back?”

The youkai nodded furiously, “I asked her when she gave it to me. She told me she was leaving town for a while, and she handed it to me when I cried. Then when I was going to hand it back, she said, ‘You keep it until we see each other again.’”

Noctis didn’t want to have to be the one to tell him that, for whatever reason, she probably wasn’t coming back. The silence persisted as Noct tried to think of a way to let him down gently—if he cried when she told him she was leaving, and he waited over ten years to see her again, chances were it wouldn’t be easy to persuade him to move on.

The epiphany hit him far later than it should have. Noctis choked out a gasp and drew concern out of the youkai once more, “I really did hurt you, didn’t I?”

“No, that’s not it,” he held up a placating hand. The youkai had been waiting for someone—a human who could see youkai, just like him. Noctis had never heard of anyone else being able to see them, but one existed, and he _needed_ to meet her. “Do you remember her name?”

“She said to call her Luna,” the youkai responded and held out the handkerchief, “but her full name is embroidered on here. I can’t read human letters, so I don’t know what it is.”

Noctis took it and turned it around in his hands until he could read: _Lunafreya Fleuret._ If she was from here, he might be able to find someone who knew where she went. He might be able to meet her himself. Noctis looked at the youkai, determination etched into his features, “Would you trust me to find Luna and give this back to her for you?”

The blonde looked surprised, and a little red in the face, “You would do that… for me?”

Noct had enough tact not to admit he was really doing it for himself. “If you’ll let me.”

“Th-Thank you!”

> “What’s your name?” the older blonde crouched down beside Noctis, whose face was finally dry enough that he could look into the crystalline violet-blue eyes that carefully watched him.
> 
> “Noctis,” he sniffed. The new face’s kind smile worked to numb the knot constricting his small chest. “What’s yours?”

Noctis stood up, the youkai with him. The teen folded the handkerchief and placed it in his pocket. He started to leave, not without looking over his shoulder to say, “I’ll let her know it’s from Prompto.”

He faced forward before he could see the youkai’s reaction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: Luna to the rescue! (as per usual)


	4. Birds of a Feather: Part One

With the handkerchief in his possession, Noctis didn’t know where to start looking for Lunafreya. It might have been a small town, and if he asked enough people, he might have been able to find a solid lead, but walking up to strangers and asking about another stranger was too daunting for him.

Instead of going home, he turned to the one person he thought he could ask for help. He was greeted by a receptionist when he entered the police station. “Is Cor Leonis here?” Noctis asked.

His inquiry was interrupted by Gladio stepping out to say, “Hey, Noct. Here to see Cor?”

He stepped away from the front desk to reply, “Yeah, can you get him for me?”

“He and Dad are on patrol right now. Should be back soon, though. Everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine.” _Not like I’m your concern,_ Noctis held back.

Gladio eyed him up and down, “Did you get into a fight or somethin’?”

Noctis looked down at himself and noticed for the first time his disheveled state. “No, I tripped and fell when I was walking home.”

A grin crept onto Gladio’s face, “You sure it wasn’t a youkai?”

Noct felt the resentment reach its boiling point within him. When he told the impossible truth, they hated him for it; when he told a believable lie, they mocked him for it. What did they want from him? Noct’s expression remained neutral, as well as his tone, “I’ll just see him at home.”

He kept his eyes to the ground as he turned to leave. A moment’s hesitation later, he heard, and was going to ignore, Gladio say, “Wait, Noct—”

“Noctis?”

Cor and Clarus walked into the station and stood on the other side of the door from Noct. The teen moved to let the two inside, and Clarus raised his brow, “Ah, would you look at that. You’ve grown some, Noctis.” He took in the boy’s appearance and added, “You’re not here to report something, are you?”

Noctis had to wonder if he really looked that bad. “Uh, no. I tripped and fell.”

“Are you okay?” Cor asked. “I know you weren’t feeling well this morning.”

“Yeah, I’m fine. You know this bum knee of mine…” Noctis trailed off, not really wanting to bring up those injuries in front of the people who remembered the past better than he did. “That’s not why I came here; I wanted to ask you about something.”

Cor pulled Noctis to the side, and Clarus and Gladio took their leave. “I was wondering if you could help me track down the person who lost this,” Noct explained as he showed Cor the handkerchief. He figured that as an officer, Cor would be a good source of information on the town’s community. He imagined his logic could be off, that perhaps Cor hadn’t ever met or heard of Lunafreya, but it would be a start no matter what.

“Lunafreya? Haven’t seen her around here in a while,” Cor remarked fondly. “She used to do a lot of volunteer work in high school. Last I saw her, she was going to college in a couple towns over. I’m pretty sure that’s where she stayed. I don’t know where you found this thing, but it’s been lost for a long time. She’s probably replaced it.”

“Still… now that it’s been found, it feels like I should get it back to her.” Noctis didn’t know how he’d explain why it was important to him to hand deliver an old pocket square to a woman he had never met. He was hoping Cor wouldn’t ask.

He was pleasantly surprised when Cor didn’t, “Her brother Ravus still lives in town. You could ask him to get in touch with Lunafreya for you.” Cor gave him directions to the elder Fleuret’s residence, and Noct thanked him as he took his leave. “Don’t stay up too late tonight,” he added as Noctis waved goodbye.

Noctis figured it was still early enough to speak with Ravus. It was nearing five, and he would probably be getting home around the time Noct got there. He got to the doorstep and rang the doorbell, and just before he tried it again, he heard a voice behind him, “Can I help you?”

He turned to face a man with silver hair and sharp features. “I was looking for Ravus Fleuret,” he said.

“You found him.”

“Oh, uh, hello,” Noct suddenly wished he had gone over what he wanted to say. It had been easy with Cor, someone he knew to a certain degree, but a stranger—the brother of the person he was searching for—was a different story altogether. “I’m Noctis Caelum, and I found this old handkerchief with your sister’s name on it. I was wondering if you’d help me get in touch with her so I could give it back.”

Ravus looked surprised to see the object in his hands, “I never knew she lost that. She’ll surely be happy to see it again. Thank you for finding it, and you don’t have to go through the trouble of bringing it to her personally. I can give it back when I visit her next.”

“If you don’t mind…” Noctis clutched the square in his hand. “I’d really like to take the opportunity to meet Lunafreya. She and I…” He knew he would have to make a convincing argument if he wanted the chance to speak with Lunafreya; knowing Ravus was her brother, and that she could see youkai, Noctis took the risk and admitted, “She didn’t lose the handkerchief—she gave it to someone only the two of us can see, and that someone asked me to bring it back.”

It took a beat for Ravus to puzzle it out, then his eyes lit up. Noctis had taken everything he had learned from telling others the truth about himself and threw it out the window on a _chance_ that Ravus would understand, and he almost couldn’t stand the anticipation of Ravus’ next words. “Well, in that case, I’m sure she’d want to meet you as well. She’s not had the opportunity to meet another who has _that_ in common in quite a while.”

“Me neither,” Noctis muttered.

“I’ll call her tonight to see when she has time. Could you leave me your number so that I can get in touch when I find out?”

Noctis gave him the number to his house and left him to his evening. His heart was going fast in his chest, and he wondered what it was from. He was equal parts scared and excited, and he didn’t even know when he would get to speak with Lunafreya—but he _would,_ and that was what gave him that feeling.

Before Noctis went to bed that night, Ravus called and already confirmed with him that Luna was free this Saturday, and she would be waiting to meet Noctis at her home.

He got permission from Cor to take the bus and visit her that day, and when he granted it, Noctis told Prompto that he would get the handkerchief to her in a few days. The youkai was overjoyed and asked Noct to tell Luna about a number of different things, most of which were unfinished conversations between him and her that Noct couldn’t decipher. He didn’t know what he would talk about with Luna; he was just happy that he would finally be able to _talk_ —completely open and honest, a method of conversation Noct didn’t know well. But he was willing to learn.

When Saturday came around, Noctis acted a lot calmer than he felt. He didn’t want Cor to think anything was amiss and told him he would be home later that day before he headed out. Nothing held Noct up on his way to the bus station, and the ride went smoothly; Noctis took it as a good sign.

He followed the street signs once he got to town in search of the address that Ravus had provided. When he stood across the street from the designated house, he felt his pocket for the handkerchief before he made his way to the door.

The doorbell rang, and he heard dogs bark on the other side. The door was answered by a man with dark hair, and Noctis spoke stiffly, “Hello, I’m looking for Lunafreya Fleuret.”

“You must be Noctis,” he said as he made to shake hands with Noct. “I’m Nyx, Luna’s husband. She’s in the kitchen, making tea for the two of you. Come on in.”

Noct stepped inside and started to follow Nyx through the house when the two dogs he had heard came around a corner and planted themselves in front of him. Nyx didn’t seem to notice his struggle to move around the animals, so he commented, “Cute dogs.”

Nyx turned around, bewildered, “You see dogs?”

Noct stood there, dumbfounded, and he lifted his hands from patting their heads. “You mean you don’t?”

“They’re still here?” a feminine voice responded. Noctis looked behind Nyx to where the dogs came from to see a woman with pale blonde hair. Her expression softened as she walked over to Noct, and the dogs sat at her feet, looking up at Luna. “Those are my familiars. The white one is Pryna and the black and white one is Umbra. Even after so long, I had no way of knowing if they had stayed.”

Noctis had a sinking feeling slowly encompass him. Something wasn’t making sense. He looked at the dogs again as he said, “Those are youkai?” Luna nodded, and he experienced a strange feeling of betrayal. There were so many kinds of youkai that looked otherworldly, but it was the ones that looked like normal humans and animals that scared him the most. Noct was reminded of the youkai that got him there.

But he shook his head; he had gone too far with his thoughts. There was something else that bothered him more, “They’re your familiars, but… you sound like you can’t see them.”

“I’ll be upstairs,” Nyx took his leave after a peck to Luna’s cheek.

Luna ushered Noct into the kitchen, where two mugs were waiting on a table. He took a seat while Luna poured the tea, and he watched the dogs lay down by Luna’s chair. “I was born with the ability to see youkai, like I imagine you were. My mother could see them too, and she told me all about them. Youkai were an integral part of my life—I met Nyx by sealing away an unfriendly youkai that had attached itself to him. No matter how unpleasant it could get at times, I couldn’t picture how different my life would be—how I would be, if I couldn’t see them.

“I woke up one day, about six years ago, to find Umbra and Pryna weren’t home. It wasn’t out of the ordinary; they would disappear on occasion, but they would always come back. I didn’t think that time was any different. So I didn’t think about it at all.

“It only struck me after a week that they had been gone longer than they had ever been before. That’s when I called on them with no luck, and I started to worry. That worry deepened when I realized that I couldn’t remember the last time any youkai had caught my eye.

“So I ran through my neighborhood, looking for any sign of one. There was a protector youkai that never left the roof of one of my neighbors across the street, but I couldn’t see it when I checked that day. My mother had told me so much about youkai, and what we who can see them could do with this gift, but she never told me that it was possible to lose the ability.”

Noctis had been moved to silence by the revelation. He didn’t want to seem excited by the news that he could lose the ability to see youkai, since it was obvious that Luna had a different opinion on the matter. He took a sip of his tea before replying, “Is there a reason why your mother didn’t tell you it could happen?”

“Most likely, she didn’t know either. The ability tends to run in families, but it can skip several generations at a time. She had to teach herself everything she knew. She died when I was twelve, and I suppose she never experienced losing the sight herself.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. My mom died when I was young too, and my dad…” Noct wasn’t looking for sympathy, but the words came out nonetheless, “I’ve told people before about what I see, and it’s never helped.”

Luna regarded him for a moment, “My brother looked after me after our mother passed, and although he can’t see them, he’s always been understanding. Nyx took some convincing,” Luna smiled fondly, “but eventually, he came around too. There are people who will come into your life and stay with you through all of the bad, Noctis. It’s harder for them to accept it because what they learn as stories, we see as reality; we’ve been granted a peek behind the door to another world, and all we can do is try to explain it to others.”

Noctis had done ten years’ worth of explaining and had nothing to show for it, but he kept his bitterness inside. Luna had a completely different perspective on this situation, and it served only to make Noctis yearn for the same type of support Luna had from the start. It wouldn’t do much good to bring that up, so after a cursory glance to the dogs, Noct said, “Even with a support system, how can you just invite youkai to live with you?”

Luna gave a small laugh, “There are as many different youkai as there are people, I’m sure you know. And just like people, some youkai are good while others are bad. You’ll come across both kinds—humans and youkai, and it’s important to never label them all one or the other. Umbra and Pryna proved their loyalty when they continuously helped me seal away malicious spirits. And even now, when I’m unable to sense their presence, they’re here for me. Do you know how you make a youkai your familiar?”

Noctis shook his head, and Luna went on, “A youkai writes their name down on an object and gives it to you. If you accept it, they act as your familiar until you die, or you perform a ritual that breaks the contract. I did that ritual shortly after I knew I lost the sight; I didn’t want them bound to a master who couldn’t see them. I still had enough power then to complete it successfully. Umbra and Pryna, much like Ravus and Nyx, have stayed with me out of love.”

_Youkai are the same as people_ —Noct had to think about that in earnest. The way Luna said it made it seem clear as day. But Noct couldn’t see past all the youkai that had wished to bring him harm throughout his whole life. “I’ve never met a youkai that understands love. Arguably the nicest one I’ve met tackled me to the ground and asked me to give this to you,” Noctis pulled out the handkerchief that brought him there and handed it to Luna.

“Oh, Prompto!” She didn’t have to be reminded. “I met him when I was walking to my first day of high school. His presence exuded ethereality; I just knew from the start that he was kind. We would talk when I passed by the same part of the road to and from school. He never seemed to wander far, and I never saw him with other youkai, so I’d often visit on the weekend as well so he had someone to talk to.

“I gave this to him when I said I would be leaving town. I was sad to say goodbye, but I did mean it when I said I would be back. I was waiting until I finished university, and it was right before graduation that I lost the sight. Even if I could have gone to that road and spoken to him, told him what happened, I thought it would be less painful for the both of us to leave our first goodbye as our last.”

“He’s still by that road, and he’s been waiting for you this whole time. He really wanted you to have that.”

Luna pressed the fabric to her chest and bowed her head. Noctis was worried he had upset her until she looked up, blue eyes shiny with unshed tears, “Prompto is a good soul. I enjoyed all of our chats; he could talk all day if you let him. I’ve been in and around the woods where he resides, and there’s no other youkai there. I know how you feel about them, Noctis, but if I could choose for you one youkai to befriend so that you could see the goodness that they can share with the world, there is no better option than Prompto.”

> Noctis had his knees tucked up to his chest, face buried to hide the flow of tears. He had run away again, this time farther than he had ever gone before. He wasn’t lost—he just wanted to find a place where he wouldn’t be found.
> 
> He heard footsteps approach him, and the child raised his head to shout, not caring who it was, “Go away! I’m not going back!”
> 
> Prompto halted his step, perplexed, “Are you talking to me?”
> 
> “I just wanna be alone!” Noct shuffled back and pressed himself more against the tree behind him.
> 
> “Here,” the blonde held out a handkerchief. He smiled when the boy took it and his crying quieted. “You know, when you’re sad, it’s okay to want to be around others. Something tells me you don’t really want to be alone.”
> 
> “H-How would you know that?”
> 
> “Because,” Prompto felt a twinge of sadness of his own, “I know what that feels like.”

“You want me to be friends with him,” Noct stated her request plainly.

“I think, if you want others to accept the world as you see it, you have to accept it first.”

Noctis considered her words. He didn’t think it was worth mentioning his first interaction with Prompto years ago—Luna seemed to be filled with thought-provoking enlightenments, and he assumed she would tell him that he needed to move on from that. He knew that without having to be told, but it was easier said than done. After everything that had happened to Noctis between then and now, he wanted to be the one apologized to, not the other way around.

Nevertheless, he conceded, “You’re right. I’ve already been talking to him on my way to school this week. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to keep it up.”

Luna smiled brightly, “That’s wonderful to hear.”

Noctis finished off the tea and sighed contentedly, “It was really nice talking with you, Luna. I ought to get home.”

“Sure,” she stood with him and walked him to the door. “If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me again.”

“I will, thank you.”

Noctis made his way back to the station and got on the next bus home. The journey had helped; he would trust in Luna’s advice and make an effort to understand his own place in the world a little bit better. Noct wasn’t sold on the idea that it would be the salve that healed all his wounds, but if she thought Prompto could help in some way, he owed it to her and himself to try.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Luna sees this ship sailing in from a thousand miles away.


	5. Birds of a Feather: Part Two

It wasn’t until Monday that Noctis got to tell Prompto how the trip went. The youkai was there, same as always, and walked with him a bit on his way to school. Noct gave him the short version, stating that he met with Luna and she received the handkerchief, which was enough to put Prompto at ease. He promised to tell him more after school.

Noctis and Ignis continued their unspoken ritual of eating lunch together in the library, and Noct hadn’t chosen to move to a different table like he had originally planned. It helped, he supposed, that Ignis didn’t bring up the past when they spoke, and that it was usually a time to study silently rather than converse. Noct didn’t see the reason to change, even if the air around them together still felt strained.

The day ended, and Noctis made his way back to Prompto, opting to walk further into the trees while they talked to offset the chance of Noct’s being seen talking to himself by passing students. “Luna didn’t forget about you, just so you know,” Noctis made clear. “She was planning to visit you like she said, but she lost the power to see youkai years ago.”

Prompto was taken aback, slowing a step as he took the information in. “I… I didn’t know that could happen. It’s okay… I understand. It would’ve been hard for us both if she had come here to tell me she couldn’t see me.”

“She said the same.”

The blonde nodded sadly, “I’m glad you got to meet her. She was the first human I was able to speak to—without any youkai nearby, it was nice to look forward to Luna coming by.” Prompto gave him a heartfelt smile, “And it’s nice looking forward to talking to you too.”

Noctis rubbed the back of his neck; the sincerity of his words ate away at Noct’s defenses. He wasn’t prepared to be the first to open up, so he redirected the conversation at Prompto, “If there’s no other youkai around here, why don’t you go somewhere there is?”

Prompto’s smile melted; Noctis felt bad for ruining his mood and was about to take his question back. The youkai began to answer before he could. “I’m the spirit of a bird. The nest I hatched in was right over here,” he spoke as he moved to stand beside the tree, Noct with him. He placed a hand on the trunk as he added, “When I was only a few days old, I fell out of that nest. I didn’t die immediately, but I knew I wouldn’t be alive for much longer.

“I know there was someone there—a human who picked me up, and they were there when I finally died. Even if I felt better for not dying alone, my spirit lingered because I was so… I guess angry is the word. It seems silly to me now, but I was mad that out of all the hatchlings in that nest, _I_ was the one to fall. ‘Why me? _Why_ was it me?’

“I started life as a youkai in a form you wouldn’t recognize. And I would’ve continued like that, too, had that human not stop by one day and leave seeds on that flat rock by your feet. The seeds were taken by other birds, but I stayed and watched as that human came back every now and then and left more. It… helped, in a way—to know I hadn’t been forgotten. It cleared my head and allowed me to take this form, but by the time I did, the human stopped leaving seeds.

“I was okay with that, though—I probably couldn’t have talked to them anyways. And their kindness has already done so much for me, what more could I ask for?”

Noctis didn’t know what to say, and so he voiced the first thing to come to mind, “You know, it doesn’t surprise me—that you’re a bird. Your hair looks like the tail feathers of one.”

Prompto stared wide-eyed, hand moving to hover near the upward fringe of his hair, and Noct wondered how much of his foot must have been in his mouth for him to reply with _that,_ when Prompto broke out into laughter, hand moving down to clasp over his mouth. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” he answered sweetly.

“I meant it as one,” Noctis mumbled, a futile attempt to assuage his embarrassment. “Whoever found you and remembered you…” he tried again, “I’m glad they did, so that I could get to know you.”

The blonde’s laughter was subdued, and he asked sheepishly, “Even the first time?”

> “You can see them too?” Noctis looked up at Prompto hopefully.
> 
> “Yes,” the blonde hadn’t thought before he said it; he only wanted the child to feel better. “Not everyone can see youkai, so not everyone will understand—but I understand you. You don’t have to feel lonely anymore, now that you know I’m here for you.”
> 
> Noctis wrapped his arms as far around the youkai’s legs as he could, “And you don’t have to be lonely either, because you have me.”
> 
> Prompto was warmed by his kindness, but alarmed when he heard another human calling for Noctis and approaching. “Noctis,” the man sighed tiredly, “what are you doing out here?”
> 
> Noct looked to Clarus, but pointed to his friend, “Talking to Prompto.”
> 
> Clarus shook his head wearily, “There’s no one there, Noctis.”
> 
> It felt like the floor fell away from his feet as Noct slowly turned to look at the blonde, face full of distrust. “I’m sorry, Noctis,” the youkai was just as upset, “I—”
> 
> “Stay away! _Monster!_ ”

“Yes,” Noct said sincerely, “even the first time. I know why you said what you did—you just wanted to cheer me up.”

“And instead, I made it worse.”

“No, _I_ made it worse by assuming that being a youkai made you a bad person.”

“You were just a kid.”

“Yeah, I was, and I’ve only learned recently that I shouldn’t have called you a monster. I’m sorry I did that, and I’m sorry for running away from you last week when I recognized you.”

Prompto glowed with a grin, “And I’m sorry I lied to you. I think it would be better if we put the past behind us and start fresh.”

Noctis couldn’t help but to give a half-smile at that, “I think that’d be a good idea.” The youkai bounded over to him and tossed his arms around his shoulders for a quick hug. Prompto hadn’t changed in appearance at all in ten years, and it was strange for Noct to now be about the same height that he was. Strange, but not bothersome—much like the sudden physical affection the youkai gave. “I’ll make sure to talk to you like this on any afternoon that I can, and the weekends too, if you want.”

His friend replied with an enthusiastic, “That’d be great!”

They parted in good spirits, and Noctis resumed his walk home. A weight had been lifted from his shoulders after he made amends with Prompto, one that he didn’t realize was there until it was gone. He looked forward to spending more time with the youkai, which was something he never thought he would think.

In the isolated space between Prompto’s neck of the woods and the main thoroughfare in town, Noctis got the prickling feeling on the back of his neck that signified he was not alone. It was possible that other students were still behind him, but Noct heard no traces of footsteps. He idly turned to look over his shoulder and instantly wished he hadn’t.

A ghoulish youkai, face covered by a blank mask, stood behind him and was encouraged when it saw Noctis look at it. It surged forward, and the fear Noctis knew so well came flooding into his body as he sprinted to outrun it. He was relying on it’s being too scared to enter a populated area and made for the main street with everything he had.

But his everything included a bad knee that he had blamed for a fall just last week. This week, it really became the cause; Noct felt his balance tip over as the joint went weak with pain, and he caught himself on his hands to save his head from hitting the street. His breath caught in his throat as he tried to pick himself back up, twisting around to see how much ground the youkai had gained in his fumble.

The creature lunged towards him, arms outstretched, producing unnatural sounds as it closed in. Noct had been caught by youkai before, and he had always survived—in that moment, he thought more about how he could keep Cor from seeing the wounds than how to save himself.

But before any harm came to Noct, there was a voice originating from behind the youkai’s position. “Foul spirit, go back to whence you came!” A bright light was produced, the youkai and Noctis both covering their eyes from it. When it was gone, Noct opened his eyes to find the youkai gone as well.

And there he could see who saved him, holding in front of him a strip of paper with strange symbols drawn on that glowed dimly, like a light bulb that had just been turned off. Noctis couldn’t believe what he saw, and he stayed on the ground, gaping, trying to find the ability to speak.

“I-Ignis?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompto's history, the make-up we've all been waiting for, and who doesn't love cliffhangers?
> 
> We're halfway through the chapter count, but only about a third of the way through the word count, and I want to thank everyone who has read this far, bookmarked, and left kudos or comments! They all mean so much!


	6. Serendipity

Ignis tucked the talisman back into his bag and asked coolly, “Was I successful?”

Noctis’ mind was still trying to process, and the most he could reply with was, “Wh- _What the hell?_ ”

“I’ll assume that everything is alright,” Ignis walked over and held a hand out for Noctis to take.

He took it and got up, but his shock had not worn off. “Ignis! Why are you acting like this is normal?”

“I’ve been waiting for a more appropriate time to speak with you on the matter, but this turn of events could not have been helped. I’m sorry that my involvement took you by surprise; if you care to, you can come over to my house, and I will explain everything.”

Noctis agreed because there was no way he _wasn’t_ in dire need of an explanation after that display. They said nothing to each other on their way to Ignis’, the only thing either that was spoken before the front door closed behind them was Ignis ensuring Noct, “I’ve placed wards at all the entrances, so there won’t be any youkai that can enter.”

Noct had to wait for Ignis to return to the living room where he had deposited himself on the couch, waiting to be brought into the know. The older teen placed drinks for them both on the coffee table before they turned to each other. “Can you see them?” Noct was fairly certain the answer was no, but his thoughts were jumbled, and he wanted to start with the easiest question.

“No, I cannot see them. I was behind you a ways, and when you turned around, you were looking through me, which was odd enough, but then you started to run, and I had to intervene.”

“What did you even do?”

“I banished it. I don’t know where, but as long as it’s gone, I don’t care what happened to it.”

“How…” Noct was looking for a way to make his question more specific, when he settled on repeating, “ _How?_ ”

Ignis gave a small smirk, “Shall I start from the beginning?”

> Ignis was thirteen when his grandfather passed away. He was brought along to help his parents clear out his house of his belongings, and Ignis was eventually designated to the attic. He was the first one up there, and it was positively filled with boxes of things, most of them appearing to be useless mementos. Ignis dug around the first layer of some of them, looking for anything of interest without any luck.
> 
> He maneuvered to the very back and dug into boxes that were tucked away the most, waving a hand in front of him to disperse the dust that went airborne. He opened a trunk that was hidden by the other storage and this one he sifted through to see what was at the bottom. The good finds were always the toughest to get to.
> 
> A thick, leather-bound book was pressed to the bottom of the trunk, and Ignis freed it. He took it closer to the light bulb in the center of the attic and sat down with the no-named tome in front of him. The pages were weathered and delicate, so he turned them carefully as he opened to the middle.
> 
> It was handwritten, nearly illegible, paired with illustrations of what Ignis could only describe as fantasy monsters. The top of the page would list a name—Ignis couldn’t tell if it was meant to be what kind of creature, or what the creature went by, because sometimes two names were given and suggested both in those cases. The rest of the information, he gleaned, appeared to tell the story of an encounter with them. Some were sealed away, others were left alone.
> 
> He wondered why his grandfather would own such a thing, or was he the one that made it? Ignis looked at the front page of the book, hoping for some name to claim ownership, and there was. It wasn’t his grandfather, but his _grandfather’s_ grandfather. The title of the collection was the most disconcerting part: _An Anthology of Youkai._
> 
> Ignis abruptly rose to his feet, reminded of a boy who was years gone by now, raving about imaginary monsters that were now roughly drawn out for his eyes to see. He ducked back into the trunk, for what he doesn’t know until he laid hands on it—another leather-bound journal to go with the first. He opens it, hoping to see something like an outline for a fiction novel that would rationally explain the anthology’s contents, and instead he found a book of spells that worked to control youkai.
> 
> He slammed the book shut and removed his glasses to rub his eyes. _Why would Grandfather hold onto his grandfather’s mad writings?_ Ignis couldn’t convince himself for long that they were entirely mad—too much care had been put into drawing the youkai and symbols, the encounters too detailed, for it to be labeled as insignificant.
> 
> Ignis gathered the books and took them downstairs, hiding them amongst the other things his parents had set aside to take to their home. He would have to look at them again once he had cleared his head.
> 
> For days afterward, Ignis pored over it and deciphered as much of the handwriting as he could before he decided to ask his father about the find. “Did Grandfather ever talk about youkai?” the young teen asked straight away one evening as he helped make dinner.
> 
> “About—?” His father cut himself off with a laugh. “No, why do you ask?”
> 
> “In his attic, I found a book about them. It was made by his grandfather, and it was filled with personal accounts with youkai.”
> 
> “You’re old enough to not believe in those stories for children anymore, Ignis.”
> 
> “The book was written by an adult, so what does age have to do with it?”
> 
> Ignis’ father turned him by the shoulders to face him, and said, “My great grandfather always told those stories to me, and my father didn’t have to remind me not to take them seriously. He swore they were true, and that he could see those things.” He shook his head and resumed cutting vegetables. “It was all I could think about when Noctis stayed with us for that short time. I hope that boy has outgrown it faster than my great grandfather ever did.”
> 
> In a similar fashion, Noctis was all Ignis was thinking about when talking about his great-great-grandfather. Nausea settled in his stomach when he focused on the images in the book later that day. Some of them looked like people, and others decidedly did not. He thought about how a five-year-old would react to being chased by any of these, and how much worse it would feel to then be told that he was delusional.
> 
> Ignis’ heart hurt with remorse. _Where is Noctis now?_ He hadn’t thought about that since he last saw him. _Is he still scared?_
> 
> He had to share this with another. His parents might not understand, but that was because they didn’t see the full extent of Noctis’ pleading. Gladio was the other that Noctis tried his hardest to win over, and he had been just as stubborn as Ignis had.
> 
> Gladio’s descent into guilt came the following day, when Ignis brought him over after school to look at both books. It took most of the afternoon to make him believe it, but it hit hard once it sank in. “Why did we treat him like that?” Gladio sighed heavily. “Even if it wasn’t real, we shouldn’t have been so…”
> 
> “It doesn’t do much good for anyone to dwell on our mistakes,” Ignis changed pace, flipping through the book of spells. “I’ve spent some time learning what these spells are for—binding, banishing, sealing. I’ve decided to keep learning them all, and I hope that one day I can use it for what I failed to do before, and that is to protect Noctis.”

Ignis and Noctis had moved to Ignis’ room during his retelling of events, and Noctis had the books in hand. He had found a page for both the youkai that had chased him and the talisman that banished it. “Gladio knows about this too?” Noctis asked, tracing his fingertips along the pages’ worn edges.

“Indeed. It might be a good idea to speak with him soon about this. I’m sure he wants to make amends of his own.”

Noctis looked up from the books, at a loss for words. The lonely little kid still stuck inside of him wanted to scream, _“I told you so!”_ Ignis was saying that he believed him, and as much as Noctis wanted to simply accept it, he had to ask, “You could’ve written off this book like your dad did. Why didn’t you?”

Ignis moved closer and turned the anthology to the title page. “There’s something I haven’t mentioned to anyone but Gladio. Look here,” he pointed to the name of his relative, and beneath it…

“Does… that say ‘Caelum’?”

“It does. It appears that both our great-great-grandfathers could see them, and they worked together to keep an account of what they found.”

Noctis was stunned into silence another time. “This past Saturday, I… I met someone else who could see youkai. Well, she lost the power to see them, but she used to. She told me that the sight runs in families, and sometimes it will skip generations.”

“Even though I lack that power, I think we’ve learned today that I don’t need it in order for these spells to work for me. I can keep the promise I made, and you won’t have to deal with youkai alone anymore. As I mentioned earlier, my house is sealed, so if you ever need a place to hide—and I could also make some to seal your home as well.”

The idea of having not one, but two safe havens thrust upon him in the course of one afternoon was a lot to take in. But Noctis had to think on sealing his own home; even though it would be beneficial to seal out the bad, Noct didn’t want to also seal out the good. He didn’t know why he already imagined Prompto coming over to his home, but he didn’t dwell on it. “Thank you, Ignis,” Noct went in a different direction for his answer, “but if I need to hide from youkai, I’d rather not run the risk of getting Cor involved.”

“Of course,” Ignis nodded, “I understand your concern. The last thing I want for you is a repeat of ten years ago.”

Noctis didn’t want to think about how many times he had already repeated ten years ago, but he chose not to inform Ignis that he hadn’t been able to stay in the same home for a full year since his dad died. It always got close, and when he was younger, Noctis thought that making it to a year would ensure that the family wouldn’t let him go, no matter how destructive the youkai he attracted became. He knew better now, but with being in the home of his father’s friend, Noct was more driven to keep his messes out of Cor’s home.

With Ignis and Gladio on his side, Noct had a feeling it would be easier. He wasn’t alone anymore. Noctis had to duck his head and cover his eyes before Ignis could see the tears burning the corners at the thought.

He wasn’t alone.

The next day was the beginning of a new normal. He walked a little faster to reach Prompto’s stretch of the road, and then he would walk a little slower to let the blonde talk. Luna was right, Prompto would make conversation about anything that came to his mind, and Noctis would listen to all of it.

When they reached the intersection where Prompto usually turns back, the blonde stopped, and Noctis waved over his shoulder, “See you in a few.”

“W-Wait,” Prompto said, and Noct did. “Would it be okay if…”

He trailed off, and it appeared to Noctis that he was about to change his mind, so Noct prompted, “If…?”

Prompto took in a deep breath and finished speaking almost too fast to make clear, “If I went with you to school?”

It was an unexpected question; the youkai told him just the other day that he wanted to stay close to where his nest had been, and now he wanted to follow Noct around school all day. It wasn’t that Noctis was opposed to the idea—the last thing he wanted was for Prompto to think he wasn’t welcome, but Noct felt the need to warn him of what to expect, “There’ll be a lot of people around, so I won’t be able to talk to you.”

“That’s fine!” he insisted. “You’ve seen where I come from, now I wanna see where you come from.”

Noctis shrugged, more touched by the gesture than he let on, “This way, then.”

Everything was the same as usual between the two until the high school came into view, and more students wound up around them. Prompto went from walking beside Noctis to behind him, and Noct kept his pace slow so he wouldn’t accidentally leave the other behind. When he felt fingers clutch onto his sleeve, Noct took a step to the side and murmured, “You okay?”

“Yeah, just… a little overwhelmed, I guess.”

Noctis didn’t feel like it would do any good to point out that he had said there would be a crowd, so instead he offered, “Wanna go back?”

“No, no, I’ll be fine. I promise.”

He let go of Noctis, and the teen wondered if he gave the youkai the impression that he disliked being held onto. He looked around himself, knowing it wouldn’t be an issue when he reached a hand back until it bumped into one of Prompto’s; Noctis held it like it was the only natural response in such a situation, and led Prompto into the school like one would a child. Prompto let himself be led all the way to Noct’s classroom, where his hand was released so the student could sit and get out his books and notes.

Prompto looked out the window that Noctis sat by, and he seemed reluctant to wander around the room. Noct figured it was for the best—even if he couldn’t be seen, that would only serve to make knocking something over into a bigger commotion.

“Ooh, Noct! Come look at this!” Prompto said in the middle of a lecture, reaching behind himself to shake Noct’s shoulder without turning away from the window. “Noct!”

The blonde turned around as Noctis wrote a message in the margins of his notes and tapped the end of his pencil next to it until Prompto leaned over to look at it: _Can’t talk, remember?_ He took the pencil from Noct and his hand blocked whatever he was putting down. Noctis didn’t know why Prompto would bother to write down his response until his hand moved and Noctis saw what he made: a doodle of a bird.

Prompto went back to the window without another word as Noctis ran a hand down his face; he forgot that Prompto told him he couldn’t read. But the blonde seemed to have moved on, so Noctis considered the situation resolved.

At lunch, Noctis returned to the library to find Ignis waiting for him with a greeting, “Hello, Noct.”

“Hey,” Noctis answered, shifting his gaze to Prompto who looked on curiously. “Uh, just so you know… there’s a youkai following me.”

Ignis’ expression remained unchanged as his hand inched towards his bag, fingers catching on a talisman, “I see. Do you need me to—?”

Noctis realized the fault in his wording, and went to clarify, “No! He’s… a friend.” He pulled out both chairs on the other side of the table from Ignis, inviting Prompto to sit in the other.

“A friend?” Ignis repeated.

“Yeah,” Noctis left it at that. He didn’t feel the need to divulge his entirely new perspective; Ignis was smart enough to understand without any help. “His name’s Prompto. Prom, this is Ignis.”

Prompto was taken off-guard by the introduction, but turned to face Ignis anyway to stutter out, “Oh, uh, hello…” His face flushed, and he brought up a hand to cover it. “Noct, you don’t have to worry about including me in conversations. It must be strange for you to speak for someone who’s not there.”

Noct frowned, “But you _are_ here.” He thought on the words, though, taking in this scenario from Ignis’ point of view: Noctis was talking to an empty chair, staring into space, naming it Prompto. Even if he had Ignis’ vote of confidence, it would still be a lot for anyone to digest one day into a friendship. And Prompto looked uncomfortable at the idea of talking to anyone besides Noctis; it was taking a lot out of him to just be there, Noct knew, and so he wouldn’t push either of them. “I get it, though. Here, let me get you something to do during lunch.”

He pulled out his notes and flipped to a blank page; one the first line, he wrote _Prompto._ He slid it over to the youkai and said, “I know you said you can’t read, but you can learn. Start with your name, and tell me when you want other words to copy.”

Prompto took the pencil and got to work on the first letter. Noctis directed his attention back to Ignis, who was waiting patiently. “He’s gonna leave the talking to us,” Noct said, feeling a little more self-conscious about what Ignis must be thinking.

“Sure,” Ignis gave no sign of the exchange starting off awkwardly, easing Noct’s tension a touch. “Speaking of conversations, have you spoken to Gladio since yesterday?”

“I was going to drop by the station after school today. There’s not much to be said that you haven’t told me already, so I figure it’s just about getting all this out in the open, right?”

“On your first day back, Gladio told me he wanted to let you know about everything the first time he saw you, but that you were none too pleased to see him, and then he used my appearance as an out.”

Gladio didn’t strike Noct as the type to beat around the bush when he had something to say, but Noctis figured this particular topic would require a not-so-blunt lead-in if it were to get off the ground. And it wasn’t like Noct had been especially welcoming to Gladio either times they had seen each other. “It’ll be different this time,” he said.

Prompto lightly tugged on Noct’s sleeve, “Noct, I wanna write your name too.”

Noctis looked over at the notebook, seeing that Prompto had repeated his name halfway down the page. Noctis took the pencil briefly to write his own name next to the column, and the youkai took it from there.

“I also wanted to know if you would be interested in studying the spells on your own, so that you can defend yourself when the need arises,” Ignis offered.

Logically, it was a good idea; after the youkai from yesterday, Noct had no reason to outright refuse, but still, he decided to meet Ignis halfway. “It’d be nice to have a few of those talismans on hand, but I don’t want to rely on them heavily.” Noctis side-eyed Prompto, who was intent on the notebook, as he continued, “I’ve been running from youkai my whole life, and I’m finally done with that, but not because I’ve found a way to push that part of me away. I want to know what I’ve been missing out on.”

“My, I had no idea you were so poetic,” Ignis teased, and Noctis rolled his eyes. “But I understand; you wouldn’t want to make Prompto uncomfortable by banishing every youkai you come across.”

Prompto raised his head at hearing his name, “Is he talking about me? Did he say banishing youkai?”

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it,” Noctis brushed it off, and Prompto went back to the task at hand. “You’re right, though, Iggy; it’d be weird to say I’m friends with one and shun all the rest. I just wanna live and let live.”

The boys finished eating and readied to part ways. Noctis gathered his notebook from Prompto and looked at what he had left—their names side by side all the way down the page. He couldn’t help but smile a bit as he put it away.

As Noctis and Prompto began to leave, Ignis stopped them by saying, “Prompto.” He looked up and down the space beside Noct, where the youkai stood unseen. “It was good to meet you.”

Prompto didn’t expect the comment, and he worked to gather himself and muster a quiet, “You too,” and faced forward again. Noctis repeated it for him before heading back to class. As strange as it must have been for everybody, Noctis was still inexplicably happy that both of his worlds were fitting together at last.

After school, Noctis and Prompto came to the edge of the road where they said their goodbyes for the day, it was Noctis who asked the blonde if he wanted to accompany him into town to see Gladio. Prompto gladly accepted on the condition that he could hold Noct’s hand again—Noct saw no reason to deny him.

They went to the station like that, and Noct asked the woman at the front desk to get Gladio. Prompto had started to look around on his own by the time Gladio got there, leaving the two of them to their discussion. “Iggy said you’d be dropping by,” the older teen said. “Guess you know why you’re here.”

“Yeah,” Noctis nodded, “I’m sorry I didn’t give you a chance the last couple times I saw you. Bad memories just… got in the way.”

Gladio shook his head, “I know I wasn’t easy on you when we were kids—no one was. I woulda been more shocked if you came back acting like everything was perfect, honestly.”

“I’m glad we could clear everything up. I really want this time to be different.”

“Same here, kid.” Gladio cast his gaze to the floor before adding, “You know, Ignis has that book of magic practically memorized. He’s made me a few of those talismans to carry around, and I know how to use ‘em, but not to his extent. I only know how to face something I can see, which sucks because I wanna do my part in protecting you too.”

Noctis felt a twinge in his chest; he never thought he’d hear Gladio of all people tell him that he wanted to look out for him, but Noct could tell the words were genuine, and he didn’t know how to handle it. “You don’t have to worry over me, especially not if Ignis is gonna do it too. I told him this same thing—I’m not going to be scared anymore. Just like you’ve come to accept it… I guess you could say I have as well.”

“That’s good to know, ‘cause you really were a crybaby.” Gladio playfully punched Noct’s shoulder. “Seriously though, it’s nice to hear you’re doing better after coming home. I am curious, what’s made you so comfortable all of a sudden?”

Prompto took that moment to sidle up next to Noct, eyes on Gladio. “No reason,” Noctis said unconvincingly.

“You wanna try that again?”

“I’ve just… gotten to talk to people who got me to believe I should see things differently.”

Prompto chimed in, “Are you talking about Luna?”

Noctis looked at him then, “And by people, I mean human _and_ youkai.” He looked back to Gladio, who had furrowed his brow. “There’s one with me now; his name’s Prompto.”

Prompto was as flustered from this introduction as he was from the one with Ignis, even though Gladio seemed as unfazed as Ignis had been. “Prompto, huh? Must be a good person if he’s gotten you to stop running. If you don’t already know, I’m Gladio.”

The youkai made no verbal response, only giving a nod. Noctis spoke for him, “He’s not really used to talking to people who can’t see him.”

“Well, I’m not used to talkin’ to people I can’t see, so we’re even,” Gladio grinned. “I gotta get back to work, but thanks for coming to talk. The three of us’ll have to get together in our time off—or four of us, if Prompto wants in.”

Noctis liked the sound of that.

He and Prompto stood outside before they spoke again. “My house is nearby, and Cor won’t be home yet, so we could hang for a bit if you want.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to, believe me, but I think I should go back for today. I’m glad I got to spend the day with you, but I’m tired out.”

Noct could understand that; he was tired from the day too. “Another time, then,” he replied, and Prompto gave a firm nod. “Want me to walk you back?”

“It’s okay, I know the way. You must be tired too, so you should get home to rest.”

“I will. See you tomorrow.”

Prompto smiled softly, “Tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, friendship! It's about time they all got on the same page. :)


	7. Broken Wings

Cor peered into the living room where Noctis, Ignis, and Gladio lounged and played video games on a Friday evening. He couldn’t help but smile to himself upon seeing how much had changed for Noctis in the year since taking him in. Cor could tell that the kid was still reserved around him, around everyone, but catching a glimpse of the sixteen-year-old acting his age allowed him to see the improvement that had already been made.

Cor stepped back into the kitchen to check on the food; he had finally sorted his hours so that he could be home most evenings so that Noct wouldn’t have to make his own dinner and eat alone. Noctis still behaved as though he were a guest in Cor’s home instead of a member of the household, no matter how many times he had told the teen otherwise. He hoped that behavior would change before Noctis was done with high school—he wanted Noctis to know that this would always be a place he could come back to.

He shook his head slowly in slight disbelief. Cor and Noctis both had come a long way since losing Regis.

> After the car accident—where a driver blew through a stop sign and crashed into the Caelum’s car, taking out himself and Regis, and leaving Noctis hospitalized—the question of where the boy would go was a topic among Cor, the Amicitias, and the Scientias before he was even out of the coma.
> 
> The Amicitias couldn’t take him because they had their hands full with their newborn daughter—they didn’t feel like they could adequately care for injured, orphaned Noctis in the way that he needed. Cor, who had chosen not to marry and lacked the parenting skills that his friends had, expressed much the same concern; he got nervous enough when they asked him to watch their kids for a few hours, and Noct would be better with a family that was familiar with raising kids. So the Scientias agreed that their home would be best for Noctis.
> 
> He was moved into their home as soon as he was released from the hospital, and he stayed housebound for a few more months to rehabilitate after the accident. Everything was going as well as could be expected, and so when Noctis was cleared to go back to school, he began to leave the house regularly again.
> 
> That was when the trouble began. The Scientias told Cor and the Amicitias that Noctis would spout off nonsense—often shouting about things chasing him or looking in through the windows when there was nothing there. Cor could see them slowly become more and more incapable of handling Noct’s fits, and they would ask for him or the Amicitias to just take him for a night to catch a break.
> 
> Noctis would spend some afternoons in either house, but his overnight stays were with the Amicitias all but one time. Cor put the child to bed in his spare room after an evening of making Noct sure that all of the windows were covered; it seemed to be the only thing that calmed Noctis down. When he made to leave, Noct had stopped him and pitifully requested that Cor stayed until he fell asleep. He lounged next to Noctis, who took hold of Cor’s arm in his sleep, and Cor himself wound up dozing off like that.
> 
> The night was uneventful, and Noctis was still sleeping when Cor awoke. After a late breakfast, Cor was walking Noct back to the Scientias when the kid balked and hid behind Cor while trying to pull his hand free. “What’s the matter?” Cor didn’t let him go. “Do you not want to go back to the Scientias?” He had to ask, if only to ease his doubts over whether or not their house was actually the best choice for Noctis after all—they seemed to be at their wit’s end, and Noct could have picked up on that.
> 
> “No!” Noctis shouted, and that answer concerned Cor. The kid managed to slip his smaller hand free and took off, disappearing around corners faster than Cor could see which way he went. He called Clarus and ask for his assistance in finding Noctis—it wasn’t the first time something like this had happened.
> 
> Clarus had called Cor to inform him that Noctis was found, and that the child was still talking to things that weren’t there. Cor passed the message to the Scientias, and by the time Noctis was returned to them, their minds had been made up—they were not equipped to handle him, and they would seek out a different living arrangement.
> 
> The Amicitias still had Iris to think about, and Cor was still hesitant at the thought. None of them wanted to see Regis’ only child leave town to live in foster care, but none of them were able to do much about it. Cor lost sleep that night, thinking back on how Noct did relatively well during his time at Cor’s, but he couldn’t make the commitment. That was just one night, Cor rationalized. It didn’t matter how good the good days were if he couldn’t do anything for him during the bad.
> 
> The next day, the Scientias were in touch with a social worker, and by the end of the week, Noctis was gone.
> 
> The friends’ lives and their children’s lives smoothed out after Noct’s departure. Cor felt like he was the only one who didn’t want to act as though Noctis no longer existed, but he said nothing as to not open old wounds. He had spent the least amount of time looking after the child, and he had done no more than the rest of them to try and keep Noct from going somewhere else.
> 
> As the years went by, Cor never stopped wondering where Noctis ended up. It wasn’t until the tenth anniversary of the accident was approaching that he ever did anything to satiate his curiosity.
> 
> Through his position in the police department, Cor found the trail that led him to Noctis and his current foster home. Finding the now-fifteen-year-old in a city located a few hours away did not do much to quell his need to know that Noctis was doing okay. Now that he knew where he was, Cor got off early that evening to go see for himself.
> 
> He went on his own, without telling anyone what he was doing—he knew they would say he was irresponsible to simply drop by unannounced, but if he called ahead and was told not to visit, a phone call like that would not suffice. Cor just wanted to know, to see with his own eyes, how Noctis was doing.
> 
> Cor pulled into the parking lot outside of the apartment building that was listed as Noctis’ current address. He went up to the second floor and found the correct apartment number; he knocked and waited for someone to answer. That someone was Noct’s guardian, Cor presumed, which was the first thing he wanted to clarify, “Are you Ardyn Izunia?”
> 
> “I am,” the other man answered. “Who is asking?”
> 
> “My name’s Cor Leonis, an old friend of Noctis’ father,” he held out his hand, which Ardyn shook without much enthusiasm for the gesture. “I know I’m coming by without any sort of heads up, but I was hoping to speak with Noct, see how he’s been, if that’s alright with you.”
> 
> Ardyn shrugged, “Well, it would be alright if he were here.”
> 
> Cor furrowed his brow, “He’s not home yet? It’s getting dark.”
> 
> “Yes, he’s always doing this. When he’s not arguing with people that aren’t there, he’s out starting fights and who knows what else. I cannot tell you the number of times Noctis has come home looking like a mess without telling me what happened.” Ardyn sighed, “You’re welcome to come in and wait for him to return, though I fear you might be waiting for naught.”
> 
> “Thank you, but I think I’ll see if I can find him and bring him back.”
> 
> “Ah, you will? I’d be most appreciative. Though, I wouldn’t know where to begin looking.”
> 
> Cor didn’t know either. He set out on foot and went down as many side streets as he could, relying on Noctis’ using his old runaway methods from childhood to follow his footsteps. Cor knew he could very well just be getting himself lost in an unfamiliar city, but like hell he would give up and go home without trying.
> 
> At one point, he realized he had circled a block; from there, he branched off and came across a promising sight. Under the cover of a bus bench, a teenager curled up with one foot on the seat, forehead resting against his knee. His dark hair reminded Cor of Regis, and he went to stand next to the bench before getting his attention with, “Noctis?”
> 
> The boy lifted his head, and all Cor could see was Aulea. Cor was reminded of a time when all four men and their families gathered at Regis’; Gladio and Ignis played together while Noct, no older than two, was in the yard with them, but instead of joining the other children, he spent his time staring and pointing at things like the trees, the fence, the sky. At one point, Noctis went to his father and curled up for a nap in his arms, and Cor still remembered how Regis had said, _“Thank God he took after her.”_
> 
> Cor had taken it as a little self-deprecating humor at the time, but now he understood—to see the resemblance of a late loved one in their kid was a bittersweet feeling; if only that resemblance didn’t bare such a sad expression, Cor mused.
> 
> He moved cautiously to sit down on the other end of the bench and spoke, “I’m Cor Leonis; I was a friend of your father’s. I used to look after you from time to time.”
> 
> A flash of recognition crossed Noct’s features, “I remember you. A little.”
> 
> Cor kept his tone companionable, “I guess that’s better than nothing. I know it’s strange for me to drop by all of a sudden, but I just wanted to see how you were doing. I hope you didn’t think the people back home forgot about you.”
> 
> Noctis’ mouth tightened, “I was hoping they did.”
> 
> “Why’s that?”
> 
> “You remember how I was. You must’ve worried that I was still like that, if you came all the way out here to see me.”
> 
> “And are you?” Cor asked, not unkindly. “Still like that?”
> 
> Noct’s gaze flickered between Cor and the pavement; he appeared caught between telling the truth or edging around it. Eventually, Cor had to strain to hear, “I’ve never meant to burden anyone.”
> 
> He knew that saying something like, _“You’ve never burdened anyone,”_ would not be received well; he wouldn’t believe it himself—Cor recalled clearly the look of exasperation on the Scientias’ faces, the harsh words from Ignis or Gladio when they dropped the younger boy on Cor’s doorstep and went back to their own homes. But Cor could also recall how Noctis was under his roof, mostly shutting himself inside the spare room to do his homework since Cor didn’t have much for a kid to do in his house. So the man felt right in stating instead, “You’ve never burdened me.”
> 
> The teen’s line of sight stopped wavering, now fixed on him. His frown was still present, and it seemed like he didn’t know what to say in response. So Cor moved on, “I met your guardian, Ardyn. He seemed…”
> 
> “Like he hates me, I know,” Noctis visibly sighed. “He hasn’t forgiven me since the time I accidentally messed the living room up.”
> 
> “What happened, exactly?”
> 
> “I… left the door open too long, and stuff… got messed up.”
> 
> Cor wasn’t sure he followed, “Was there an intruder?”
> 
> “Sure, yeah. Something like that.”
> 
> It was hardly a compelling answer, but Cor hadn’t forgotten how Noctis would talk about things that weren’t there, and how Ardyn had brought up seeing similar behavior. Cor resignedly accepted the fact that Noctis was not doing any better. “I know you’ve been between a lot of different homes in the past ten years.” He paused, and worded his question broadly, “Do things always get accidentally messed up?”
> 
> Noctis remained silent for a long beat, “Has it only been ten years?”
> 
> The way he dodged the question made Cor’s chest tighten. He didn’t push further and only rose to his feet to say, “I should get you back home now.”
> 
> Ardyn let them both in when they returned, and he sent Noctis to his room before anything else, not without seizing the kid’s arm as he passed, clarifying, “And stay there until I say otherwise.” Noct pulled his arm free and shut the bedroom door behind him. “Honestly,” his guardian huffed, “I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with him.”
> 
> He offered some freshly made tea to Cor as thanks for finding Noctis, and Cor accepted. Before he left, he wanted to try and reason with Ardyn—see if he couldn’t change the way he saw the teen so that things could improve for both of them. He thought maybe it wasn’t his place, but it felt wrong to do nothing.
> 
> “He was staying with a good friend of mine before he came here, you know,” Ardyn told Cor as he poured him a glass. “They told me of his attitude, and they blamed it on the fact that Noctis was always jealous of their own child; since I have no children of my own, I offered my home as a solution. I thought I could handle one rebellious teenager, but I did not understand quite what they meant when they called him _destructive_ until I saw it with my own eyes.”
> 
> Cor sipped on the tea before saying, “Noctis has not had an easy life. His mother died during childbirth, and he lost his father in a car accident that he was also injured in when he was five. And since then, he’s been passed around.”
> 
> “Yes, I realize his behavior is a cry for attention, but I cannot abide by it and let him think it’s acceptable.”
> 
> “Of course not, I just meant to say that maybe it’s not punishment that he needs, but someone to reach out to him.”
> 
> Ardyn tapped a finger on his glass, “I assure you, no punishment preceded his bad actions. He makes his choice, and I do what I can to correct it—which isn’t much, because I can take away privileges all I like, and I’ll find him holed up in his room for an entire weekend, doing nothing but sleep. I don’t know what to tell you, Mr. Leonis, but it would seem like Noctis has only gotten worse since the last time you’ve seen him.”
> 
> Cor finished the tea in one long drink, “Yes, I can tell. It makes me regret letting him go all those years ago even more.”
> 
> “I beg your pardon?”
> 
> The fear Cor had when first faced with the prospect of being Noctis’ guardian had drained away—vanished in light of seeing what his indecision had put Noctis through. “I had the chance to take him in before he was sent out of town to live elsewhere. I thought that would be what’s best for him, but now I know differently.” Cor leveled his gaze onto Ardyn, “Mr. Izunia, if you and Noctis agree, I would like for Noctis to come and live with me.”
> 
> The proposition came out of nowhere, but Cor was determined and Ardyn was as unattached to Noctis as Cor had presumed. He didn’t put up any sort of fight against the idea, stating that if it was what Noct wanted, he would let the transition happen.
> 
> Before he left that night, Cor spoke with Noctis in his room about moving. He didn’t ask for an answer right away and left his number to be reached at a later date. At the end of the week, Noctis called and asked Cor if he still would want him to move in.
> 
> By the end of the month, Noctis had come home.

Noctis said his good night to Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto at the end of the walkway so that he could properly address the youkai without Cor’s noticing. Once all three had taken their leave, Noct went to the kitchen to help Cor wash the dishes and saw him standing before the wall calendar.

From his idle glance, Noct was suddenly aware of the month. “Oh,” he said, letting Cor know he was there, “it’s already been a year, hasn’t it?”

A grin slowly culminated on Cor’s lips, but he turned away toward the sink as he said, “It has.”

Noctis joined him, toweling off the plates after Cor rinsed them. They both appeared lost in thought, before Noct broke the silence to ask, “Why did you visit me that day?”

“I told you then—I wanted to see how you were holding up. Deep down though… I never really forgave myself for letting you leave town in the first place.”

“Forgave yourself?”

“I could’ve taken you in straight away. You wouldn’t have had to go through what you did. The only reason you did was because I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to look after you like a parent. After the accident, we all took turns staying in the hospital with you. The doctors said that you had a spinal injury, and until you woke up, they wouldn’t know the full extent of your injuries. Nobody knew if you’d be able to walk again.

“And when I was there, seeing you unconscious like that, all I could think of was this time—maybe around when you were born, when I saw this baby bird fall out of a nest. I picked it up off the ground, but that was about all I could do. You reminded me of that bird, and I thought it would be the same situation—I’d be helpless to give you the care you needed.”

Noctis rubbed the towel against the last plate and shook his head, “I don’t blame you, Cor. I think we both needed those ten years to get to the point where we were ready to be each other’s family.” He set the towel down and put the plate in the cabinet. He stood still and wringed his hands before moving forward and offering a diffident hug to Cor. “Thank you—for not forgetting about me.”

Cor placed a hand on Noct’s head and the other around the teen’s shoulders. With the kitchen cleaned, they bid each other a good night and went to their rooms. Noctis was ready to go straight to bed, turning out his light and crawling under the covers; he felt sleep begin to take him when Cor’s words echoed in his mind.

Noctis sat up immediately, brought to full consciousness as he said under his breath, “ _Bird._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dad!Cor is a weakness of mine, and I thought of no one else when planning on who Noctis' guardian would be in this story.
> 
> And making Noctis slow on the uptake of important information is another weakness of mine. :)


	8. Something Familiar

The first thing Noctis did when he woke up the following afternoon was run down to see Prompto. Breathlessly, he did his best to explain what Cor told him the night before, about his story with the fallen bird.

“Really?” Prompto clasped his hands together in front of his face. “I had no idea! _No-oct,_ ” the blonde shook his arm, “please let me come over today so I can hear the story from him myself!”

“Of course,” Noct freed himself from the youkai’s grip. “He’s gonna be at work for a few more hours, but we can hang out until he gets back. I’ll tell him whatever you want to say.”

Noctis turned to head back, expecting Prompto to follow, but he was held in place when a pair of arms circled around his middle, and the weight of Prompto’s forehead rested against the nape of his neck. “Thank you,” his friend spoke softly in the little space between them. Noct slid a hand over both of Prompto’s; he hadn’t known how much it would mean to his friend to knowingly meet with the human that had helped him, until he saw him like this.

They walked casually down the road, undisturbed until someone called Noctis’ name. They both turned and exclaimed simultaneously, “Luna!” She went to them, hand in hand with Nyx, and was surpassed by Umbra and Pryna as the youkai met in the middle before the humans did; Prompto lowered himself to scratch Pryna behind the ears while Umbra licked at his face. “I didn’t know you were in town,” Noctis greeted.

“We’re staying with Ravus for the weekend,” she smiled. “It’s been so long since I last visited home.” Noct hummed in acknowledgement. “Speaking of visits, do you still go to see Prompto?”

“Uh, yeah,” Noct gestured to the space between them, “he’s here right now, saying hi to your dogs.”

“And to her!” Prompto added, scratching both dogs on their heads.

“And to you.”

Luna’s expression was delighted, “You mean Prompto came into town? All three years of high school, he would always turn back before he got too far from home. Prompto, I’m so happy for you.”

Prompto rose to his feet, his face warm and bashful, “Thanks, Luna.”

“I’m glad we got to run into you,” Luna went on. “I would love to set aside some time for all of us to be able to sit and catch up tomorrow, if you’d like. Nyx and I are just running to the store to pick up a few things for dinner. Oh! Prompto, let me introduce you to my husband, Nyx.”

The man grinned, watching the space to Noct’s left, only a little off from where Prompto was, “Luna’s told me about you. We’re both glad you’re doing well.”

“Nice to meet you!” Prompto greeted back. It was nice for Noctis to see how different Prompto had become since the first time he met someone who couldn’t see him. Prompto had learned not to be afraid by saying hello to people they passed on the street, or Noct’s teachers and classmates. Noctis liked seeing a more confident Prompto, one that didn’t need to hide behind him when there was more than just the two of them—although, Prompto still wanted to hold hands, and Noctis never failed to oblige.

Prompto’s hand drifted into Noct’s as the pairs walked to the street corner before parting ways. He must have seen the way Nyx and Luna’s fingers were interlocked, because he decided to mimic that instead of simply cupping Noct’s hand in his own like they always had. Prompto kept a loose hold until Noctis made his reaction, which was to tighten it.

They killed the time waiting for Cor by playing a single-player game and passed the controller back and forth so that Noctis wouldn’t have to worry about being caught playing a multi-player by himself. They paused when the door was opened, and Noctis welcomed him home. Prompto was looking hopefully between the two as Cor asked what Noctis would want for dinner, to which Noct gave the non-answer of, “Anything’s fine.”

All through dinner prep, Prompto sent a pout Noct’s way, waiting for him to bring it up. Noctis wanted to wait until they were sitting down and talking over dinner. Once they were seated, he eased into it, “Hey, Cor, you know that baby bird you told me that you found?”

“Yes, what about it?”

“I was wondering if you could tell me more about it.”

Cor shrugged, “There’s not much more to it. I buried it by the tree it fell out of; the next day, I don’t really know why, but I left some birdseed at the spot—I guess because I felt like I needed to do something. When I saw that it had been taken, I kept leaving some every few days for a few weeks. I doubt I made any kind of impact by doing so.”

Noctis startled a fraction as the youkai proclaimed from beside him, “You did!”

“You did,” the teen parroted.

Cor appeared confused, and Noct waited impatiently for Prompto to continue, “The bird that fell, maybe it couldn’t have been saved in body, but you saved it in spirit! By not forgetting, you turned its anger into kindness!”

Noctis repeated after him, and Cor responded, “I didn’t know you would feel so strongly about it.”

Noct ruminated on Prompto’s words and added for himself, “I think that bird and I are a lot alike too.” He looked towards his plate, but he could feel the blonde’s eyes on him. “And I think we’re both glad that you didn’t give up on us, even though everyone else would probably tell you, you should.”

Cor gave a small grin, “I don’t have it in me to give up on anything.”

“I know. Thank you.”

“You already thanked me yesterday.”

Noctis gave a grin of his own, “That one was from the bird.”

Later that night, Prompto had asked if he could stay over, to which Noct said he could. When he came back to his room after brushing his teeth, Noctis asked, “Do youkai sleep?”

“Of course we do,” Prompto answered lightheartedly and watched Noct pull back the covers. “Did you mean what you said earlier—about the two of us being similar?”

Noctis looked at him from the other side of the bed, “Yeah, I did. To be fair, you were the one to tell me that you felt as lonely as I did when I was a kid.”

Prompto blushed, “Oh yeah, I did say that, didn’t I?” The boys climbed into the bed and faced each other; neither looked ready to stop talking just yet. “But now we have something else in common.”

“Yeah. Now we’re friends.”

“Yeah.”

Noctis liked how Prompto’s golden hair still shone in the minimal moonlight, his bright eyes still trained on his. He felt a strange sort of peace, knowing the youkai would be there when he woke up. “Goodnight, Prom.”

“Goodnight, Noct.”

Noct didn’t turn away before closing his eyes and succumbing to the wave of sleepiness that washed over him. He settled further into the sheets and let himself drift away; he was especially calmed by the warm hand that came to trace the lines of his face delicately. Prompto kept moving his fingertips against his skin after Noctis had opened his eyes again. “I’ve been wanting to do this for a while,” the youkai whispered. “I don’t know why.”

Noctis whispered back, “I’ve wanted to do it to you too.”

“Go ahead.”

The teen brought his hand up and held Prompto’s face in the same fashion. Their eyes didn’t part as Noctis brushed his thumb against the freckles that adorned the blonde’s cheekbone. The same peace from a few minutes ago came over Noct again, as he moved his hand further back to bury his fingers into the youkai’s hair; he moved marginally closer, and closer still, until their lips were together.

He kissed Prompto without any reaction on the youkai’s part. When they separated, Noctis took the happily dazed expression as a sign that it wasn’t for lack of interest. “Did you like that?” Noct asked, and Prompto nodded. “Then do what I do.”

Prompto kissed back the second time, albeit timidly. To Noctis, it was still a perfect first kiss. He was elated to put his full feelings into action, and even happier to know Prompto felt it as well. They kissed for a little longer, until Noctis really was too tired to remain awake. The hand that was on Prompto’s head moved to rest in the palm of Prompto’s that lay between them while they slept.

When he opened his eyes again the next day, Noctis’ first sight was Prompto looking at him. “You didn’t lie about youkai sleeping, did you?” he sighed. “I really hope you didn’t have to just watch me sleep all night.” Stretching, Noct regarded the pensive look on Prompto’s face and grew a little apprehensive. “Prom, are you okay? I know last night, we—”

“Please make me your familiar.”

“Wh-What?” Noct sat up in bed, and Prompto joined him. “Prompto, if this is because of the kiss—you don’t have to become my familiar because of it.”

“It is because of the kiss, I guess, but not in the way that you think.” Prompto took one of Noctis’ hands in both of his own, squeezing lightly. “I can’t explain it very well, but being by your side always feels so _right._ I never want to leave your side again.”

Noct brought his free hand on top of Prompto’s. “It makes me happy to hear that from you, but we can be together without having to be bound by some contract.”

“I know that, but I want to be bound together. I _want_ to be your familiar, Noct.”

Noctis pressed himself to Prompto’s side and kissed him again. The blonde melted into the bed at the contact, and Noct stayed close after parting to say, “Before I give you an answer, would you mind if I talked to Luna about it? You might understand what it means to be a familiar, but I don’t know anything about having one.”

“I don’t mind. I want you to be sure about this too.”

Prompto insisted on letting Noctis talk to Luna alone, opting to meet him later at the youkai’s home. Noct went down the road to Ravus’ address and soon enough, he and Luna were sitting on the front steps, poised for conversation. “What did you want to talk about without Prompto here?” Luna opened the conversation for him.

Noctis shifted around, “Prompto… He asked me to make him my familiar.”

Luna’s eyebrows raised, “Really? You don’t seem too happy about it.”

“No, I am happy. I mean—I just… I don’t know what it _means._ ”

“It means Prompto cares about you a great deal, and he wants to show his devotion.”

Noct’s face reddened, and he looked away, “You make it sound like he’s proposing to me.”

The woman laughed, “It kind of is like a proposal, if that makes it easier for you to understand. He won’t be shackled to you as your familiar—I told you before that Umbra and Pryna still disappeared from time to time. The bond won’t make him do anything he doesn’t want to do; it’s more of a mutual promise to look after each other.”

Luna’s explanation eased the doubts that had formed in Noctis’ mind; he had been worried that the contract would mean Prompto was his servant. The last thing Noct wanted was to take away his freedom. “So there’s no kind of rulebook that I have to follow?”

“None at all. Your lives will continue as they are now, more or less. It’s up to you how you interpret the bond, really, and I know the two of you would never take advantage of each other. If you want to have the contract, and so does Prompto, then that’s all that should matter.”

“I want to have it,” Noctis admitted quietly. “But… I still have one concern.”

“What’s that?”

He turned to face her, and he asked her the question that weighed heaviest on his mind.

After she gave her answer, Noctis said goodbye and headed towards the woods where Prompto waited. He first stood with his back to Noct, but turned around with his hands conspicuously held behind his back. “Noct, hey,” the blonde greeted. “Did you talk to Luna?”

“Hey,” he said back. “Yeah, I did.”

“And?” Prompto seemed to lean forward in anticipation.

“I want you to be my familiar.” Noctis felt bad for adding on and watering down the youkai’s glee, but he felt it necessary to do so. “But, Prom… I need to know that you’re aware that I could lose my ability to see you, just like Luna did.”

Prompto tilted his head, “I mean, I don’t think about it every day, but I know it’s a possibility. Is that what’s been bothering you?” Noctis didn’t answer, and Prompto stepped closer. “It’s not a guaranteed loss, you know, and even if it does happen… I’ll still be your familiar.”

“That’s the thing. When Luna realized she couldn’t see them anymore, she released Umbra and Pryna with what energy she had left in her. I asked her to write the ritual down for me, s-so that if it happens…” Noctis swallowed hard. For all the trouble that youkai have caused him in his life, he no longer could bear the thought of being unable to see them—rather, see _one._ “If it happens, I’ll release you.”

“No, I wouldn’t want that!” Prompto brought one hand forward, grabbing onto the front of Noct’s shirt. “I want to be your familiar for the rest of your life.”

That was another concern, wasn’t it? Prompto hadn’t aged a day in ten years—but the inevitable age difference was one thing that Noctis felt that both of them wouldn’t be fazed by, in regards to their burgeoning relationship. It was thinking about how Prompto would still be here long after Noctis was gone—something that nobody could prevent, that Noct didn’t want to think about; he assumed Prompto didn’t either, and he figured that was why becoming his familiar now was so important to the youkai. _To make every moment together count._

He placed a hand on Prompto’s cheek and gave him a lingering kiss. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”

In response, Prompto brought his other hand forward, holding a strip of parchment that was meant for creating talismans. This one had Prompto’s name written on it, and he pressed it against Noctis until he took it from him. “You have to keep that safe,” the youkai informed.

Noctis nodded, “I won’t let you down.”

The blonde put his arms around Noct’s shoulders and they held each other in an embrace. Prompto initiated a kiss with a little too much enthusiasm and knocked their teeth together, but Noctis wouldn’t want it any other way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's about time!! This fic is definitely more about the journey than the destination. Two more chapters, and we'll be there!


	9. Like a Bird Flies

Noctis was woken up by a pleasant pressure on his forehead and an airy voice, “Time to wake up, Noct.”

He grumbled and rolled to his other side, muttering something that sounded like, “Don’t wanna.”

Prompto shook Noct’s exposed shoulder with both of his hands, sighing dramatically, “Oh, come on. All of these years together, and _not once_ have you made this easy on me.”

Noctis rolled to his back, cracking one eye partially open to look at the blonde. “Ten years, to be exact. I’d thought you’d be used to it by now.” He took Prompto’s wrists in hand and pulled him into the bed. “Today’s my day off—what’s the harm in sleeping in?”

“You said you had a lot to do today, that you had to see everyone. I was just try’na give you enough time to do it all,” Prompto pouted, but snuggled into Noctis’ side all the same.

“Your attempt to get me out of bed early on a Saturday is admirable,” Noctis ended his praise with a peck to Prompto’s forehead.

The youkai rubbed the spot where the kiss landed with a noise of protest, “Your face is scratchy again.”

Noctis ran a hand over his jaw, feeling the stubble there. If Prompto hadn’t said anything about it, he would have probably left it as is, but to get out of bed at the blonde’s behest to shave off the hair that he didn’t like would make him happy—which was all Noctis ever wanted to see him as.

He got to his feet and made his way to the bathroom, and he added a shower to his unusually productive morning. By the time he was changed and leaving the room, he could smell breakfast being made. Prompto had surprised him with meals more than a few times while he was still living with Cor, and the youkai told him that he had learned to cook by watching over his guardian’s shoulder. Noctis had insisted that he could cook for himself, but Prompto wouldn’t hear of it.

Noct came up behind Prompto as he set the plate on the table and pulled him to his chest, burying his face in his neck. “Is this better?”

Prompto laughed while trying to squirm around in Noct’s hold, taking his face in his hands once he did. “Much,” he affirmed, and he brought Noct’s lips to his. “You should eat before the food gets cold.”

Noctis only tightened his hold on the other, pressing their foreheads together and suggesting, “What if I want something else this morning?”

The blonde blushed profusely, “A-And let my effort to cook for you go to waste?”

“I’ll eat it cold,” Noct said, and he took Prompto’s hands in his, taking steps back to the bedroom, “But first…”

Noctis took the two of them back to the bedroom and didn’t stop moving until Prompto fell backwards onto the bed. Noct situated himself over the blonde and gingerly kissed down his neck, indulging in the light gasps he elicited. “You’re up at the crack of dawn,” he said between kisses, “and you stay up late with me. You do everything around the house when I’m out.” He ran a hand soothingly up and down Prompto’s side, feeling how he relaxed to the touch. The youkai brought his hands into Noct’s hair when he whispered into Prompto’s ear, tightening his grip when Noctis said, “Prom, I want you…

“To sleep in for once.”

Prompto’s eyes snapped open to take in Noct’s lighthearted smile, “Wh-What?”

“You heard me,” Noctis said as he slid off the bed and pulled the sheets out from under Prompto to lay him under them. “I don’t want you to lift a finger all day. Leave everything to me for when I get back.”

Prompto didn’t refuse Noct and stayed behind after Noctis went back to eat his breakfast. Noctis cleaned up the kitchen afterwards so the blonde wouldn’t be tempted to get out of bed. Before leaving, Noct went to the bedroom one last time to let Prompto know he was going. The blonde had tucked the covers up to his chin, and he drowsily told Noct, “I love you.”

“I love you too. Take it easy today, and I’ll see you when I get back.”

Noctis took what he needed and left the house, locking the door behind him. He turned to walk to the street, and a white, ruby-horned youkai ran in step with him along the fence around his house until they stopped at the gate. The man grinned at the protector youkai—it had found Noct while he was on a fishing outing in high school. It jumped down from the tree Noctis had stood under and onto his shoulders, scaring him half to death.

He had frantically asked Prompto for help, but his familiar only laughed and told him that the nose pressed to his ear and the tail brushing his face was just a friendly hello. It was non-verbal, but Prompto understood its calls. _“It’s called Carbuncle,”_ the youkai had said, _“and it likes you.”_

After Carbuncle had started looking after his home, Noctis slowly came to the realization that no youkai had tried to harm him since.

“Look after the place while I’m gone,” Noct said. It let out a positive yip, and Noctis was pleased with the response.

He made his way to Gladio and Ignis’ house and rapped his knuckles against the door. Gladio answered, and Noct asked, “Is Ignis home?”

“He’s at the Ulric’s, teaching their girls piano.”

“Tutoring on a Saturday? What a slave driver.” Noctis hefted the youkai anthology onto a shoulder, “Whatever, guess I’ll bring this to him there.”

“You could just leave it here.”

“Nah, Luna wanted to show the latest entry to Nyx, and I know she wants to see if she remembers Prompto’s face.”

Gladio crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe, “And you think I don’t wanna see this mysterious boyfriend of yours?” Noctis rolled his eyes and held the book out for the other man to take. Gladio flipped through until he got to the portrait that Noctis had spent more time than he was willing to admit capturing the youkai’s features. The colored bust took up one entire page, unlike the drawings that came before it; anything less wouldn’t have done him justice, in Noct’s eyes. Gladio whistled, “So this is what’s been followin’ you around. And you used to be scared of ‘im?”

“I was five, give me a break. Things were different then, and you know it.”

Noctis didn’t mean to cause that look of hurt to settle in Gladio’s gaze, but it was there anyways. “Guess you’re right,” he conceded, closing the book and running a hand over the cover. The act soothed his expression, and hurt turned to fondness. “I’m glad Iggy found this book. It changed us all.”

“Yeah,” Noct agreed, and took back the book, and teased, “It finally got the two of you together. I’m glad you two could bond through your mutual worry over me—have I ever told you that before?”

“Only on every one of our anniversaries.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right.”

It was Gladio’s turn to roll his eyes, “You can go bother Ignis now. See you at work tomorrow, rookie.”

“When are you gonna stop calling me that? We’ve been partners for four years.”

Gladio answered with a smirk and shut the door on Noctis.

Noct made the detour to the Ulric’s, a house located in Ravus’ neighborhood that Nyx and Luna moved into after they had their first child. Luna had said she wanted to raise her kids in her hometown, and Noctis was glad to have his friends nearby.

He rang the doorbell, hoping to be heard over the sound of the piano. Nyx got the door and led him to the formal living room where Ignis, Luna, and two girls aged nine and seven gathered around the piano. Ignis took a moment from his lessons to speak with him.

“Don’t you do enough teaching on the weekdays, Specs?” Noctis ribbed. 

Ignis sighed, “I’ll have you know that the Ulric girls actually enjoy my lessons. Unlike _some_ ungrateful students from the past—without naming any names.”

“Sure brings back memories.”

“The only memories I recall of our tutoring sessions is of your being distracted by _other_ things.”

Noctis took the moment to hold out the book to Ignis, “Speaking of that other thing…”

Luna and Nyx took that as their cue to join in. “Is it finished?” she inquired.

“Take a look,” Noct nodded to the page Ignis had stopped on.

“Looks just like you described,” Nyx placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder.

“It’s wonderful, Noct. He hasn’t changed a bit from what I remember.”

“Truly a work of art,” Ignis added. “The drawing, I mean.”

Noct snorted, “Thanks. Prompto was embarrassed when I asked him to model for it, but I got him to sit down a time or two.”

Luna gave him a knowing smirk, “He would do anything for you, wouldn’t he?”

Noctis refused to dignify that with a verbal response, but his reddening cheeks were answer enough for her. “You can have the book back now, Iggy,” Noct changed the subject. “Thanks for letting me drop by, but I’m running late to meet with Cor, so I’ve gotta go.”

“Wait,” Ignis halted his exit, “are you not going to write his story to go with his likeness?”

Noctis shrugged playfully, “His story’s not over yet.”

He left the Ulrics and Ignis to jog down the path to his last destination. He and Cor had made plans to visit Noctis’ parents, as they had made a habit of going together every six months. Even after coming home at fifteen, Noctis found it hard to visit their graves, and he had asked for Cor’s support the first time he made the trip. Cor had insisted a number of times that Noctis could go by himself now if he wanted, but it wouldn’t be right. _“You’re a part of my family now, too,”_ Noct had said, and finally, Cor stopped insisting.

The gates to the cemetery came into view, and with them, so did Cor. He held onto two single yellow camellias, handing one over to Noctis as he joined him. “Sorry I’m late,” Noct apologized, “had to drop something off for Ignis.”

“ _And_ you got a late start,” Cor called him out, and Noct rubbed his neck sheepishly. “You think I don’t remember all those mornings while you lived under my roof? Half the time, you didn’t even set an alarm, and the half that you did, you’d sleep right through it. Honestly, how are you not late for your shifts all the time?”

Noctis chuckled, “I manage.”

They walked the rest of the way to the gravesites without another word, taking practiced steps to their location. Cor placed his camellia on Regis’, Noct on Aulea’s. They lit incense and paid their respects, remaining knelt before the graves for a time longer.

“They’d be proud of you,” Cor stated plainly.

Noct gave a weak smile, “You say that every time.”

“And I mean it every time.”

“Well, you know, they’d be thankful for you—for the chance you gave to me to come back home. I know I am; I wouldn’t have been a son they could be proud of otherwise.”

Cor was good about doling out the sentiment, but he was not good at being on the receiving end. “I’m not sure about that.”

Noct reached over and placed a hand on his guardian’s shoulder, “You don’t have to be. I’m sure enough for the both of us.” Cor patted Noct’s hand with one of his own. “You can head back if you want. I think I’m gonna stay a little longer with them.”

“Sure. Are you still coming over for dinner tomorrow?”

“Wouldn’t miss it.”

Cor nodded, “See you then, Noct.”

> Regis buckled up Noctis in the backseat. His son was excited to go out of town on a little trip, just the two of them, but rising early was not in the five-year-old’s repertoire. He woke up enough to get to the car and dozed off as soon as he was in the seat.
> 
> The boy didn’t wake up again until an hour later, and they were already on the road. His dad passed him a baggie of cereal, and Noct crunched on it while idly peeking out the windows. He was small, and he had to stretch his neck to get any sort of clear view, so he mostly focused on his breakfast.
> 
> Once he had eaten it all, Noctis picked up one of the books his father had left next to him so he would have something to do during the ride. He read some of it, but he was mostly looking at the pictures. When he reached the last page, Regis said to him that they were halfway there.
> 
> Instead of picking up another book, Noctis rested his head against the seat and looked at the clouds that were a lot easier for him to see than what was on the ground.
> 
> The car was stopped at a stop sign; the blinker was signaling left. The car started to move again, and Noctis could hear the louder roar of a different engine coming from the other side of the car that he sat on. He didn’t have much time to turn and looked before he heard his father swear and shout, “Noctis!”
> 
> The car lurched forward when Regis hit the gas in an attempt to get through, and then the car was thrown to the left upon impact. Noctis did not have any time to be afraid—his side of the car hit an external object that every part of him also hit, and he fell unconscious.
> 
> Before he opened his eyes, Noctis already knew he was in a different place. He could remember that last moment—that last split-second he saw before now. Noct scrunched up his face, and the need to see his dad overwhelmed the child.
> 
> He could hear someone shifting beside the bed he laid in, and with half-opened eyes he looked and reached a hand out. “Dad,” his small voice was rough, like he had been asleep for a long time.
> 
> A bigger hand caught his and held it protectively. “No, Noctis, it’s not your dad,” Cor told him. “You’re in a hospital. You were in a car accident. I should—I should get a nurse in here.”
> 
> “Wait,” Noct cried out as Cor started to leave the room, “where’s my dad?”
> 
> Cor came back to his side and held his hand again. The boy could see better, but he couldn’t understand the look on the man’s face. There came a long silence before Cor spoke, “Your dad is with your mom now.”

Noctis sat quiet and unmoving for a minute, mostly to ensure that nobody was around to hear what he might end up saying aloud.

His eyes moved from one headstone to the other, reading the names, as if he didn’t know whom they were for. It might have been true for his mother, who had died before he could remember her, and although his memory of his father is hazy at best, Noctis could still remember the love his dad had for him, and vice versa. Noct inhaled deeply and said under his breath, “I miss you both.

“I feel like I’ve been cheated out of a lot by losing you. That was tough enough without then trying to make people believe that youkai were out to get me.” He pressed his lips together, thinking back on how Luna described her relationship with her mother, and Noctis smiled in spite of himself. “I’ll never stop wondering if you could see them too, Dad. Or at least, if you knew the sight ran in the family.

“But I think, even if you didn’t, it wouldn’t have made a difference in how you saw me. I would’ve been fine, as long as you were alive—” His breath caught in his throat, cutting himself off. “Sorry… It’s obviously not your fault any of this happened. And it’s okay now; I’m okay. Everything worked out in the end.”

His focus lowered to the flowers, and Noctis took a yellow petal between his thumb and index finger, rubbing it gently. He smiled again, as he always did when something yellow caught his eye. Touching the petals reminded him of running his fingers through blonde tresses, and he ached to get home to do just that. “I managed to find the place where I belong,” he concluded, “and I couldn’t be happier.”

Noctis felt light on his feet the whole journey home. A day where he got to see all of his loved ones was nothing new anymore, but it never failed to put warmth in his chest. Though he enjoyed seeing everyone, Noctis was still Noctis, and what he wanted to do most with the rest of his Saturday was to laze around the house, curled up with Prompto. Noct considered joining him for a nap if he were still in bed—if not, he was sure he could coax the blonde to rest some more if they were together.

He unlocked the door to the house that he had lived in with his father. It had stayed in his name, unoccupied but cared for by family friends even during his absence until he came back from college and took up residence. It might as well have been a house he had never set foot in before, for the few memories he could have made at that age were easily blurred. Prompto had told him that meant the two of them could start with a clean slate—make their own memories. Noctis had liked the sound of that.

The house was without sound when he stepped inside, and Noct assumed the blonde was still asleep. He had told Prompto to take the day off, knowing his tendency to busy himself with any chore that needed to be done in the house. The youkai always insisted that he wanted to do it, that it was the least that a familiar could do, and Noct was glad to see that he was finally listening to him and took the break he deserved.

“Prom?” Noctis asked quietly just outside the bedroom, but took pause when he saw the bed, empty and made. “Prompto?” he asked a little louder, peeking into the bathroom for good measure. The blonde was unaccounted for.

Noct turned back and looked around the kitchen and living room, double-checking that Prompto wasn’t laying down on the couch out of sight. It was clear he wasn’t in the house. Noctis went to the genkan and noted that Prompto’s zōri were missing.

It was odd to Noct that Prompto would go out without leaving a note, like he had done any other time. “Prompto?” he called out just to see if he was around the other side of the house; he got no response. Puzzled and not knowing how to proceed, Noctis turned his attention up to the roof, seeking out the protector youkai. “You’re missing too?” Noctis muttered to himself, only a second before a sickening thought hit him.

Did he see Umbra and Pryna at Luna’s today?

He swallowed around the lump forming in his throat, breath turning uneven. He shook his head, not letting himself fall into a panic. He had noticed as well as Luna had in the past, how the dogs would disappear from time to time. That was nothing out of the ordinary.

But their absence, and Carbuncle’s absence, _and_ Prompto’s absence _was_ atypical. Another thought entered his mind—if Prompto had left the house, he wouldn’t have been able to lock the door behind him since he had no key to do so.

Ice filled Noctis’ veins. Prompto was still in the house, and he was probably aware of what was happening.

“No…” Noctis rushed back inside and went to his bedroom. He hastily grabbed a framed photograph that sat on his nightstand—one of Nyx, Luna, Gladio, Ignis, himself, and Prompto. Of course, Noctis had been the only one who could see the youkai in the photo, but now that was changed. An empty space was next to his twenty-year-old self, and he gripped the frame until his knuckles turned white, choking back a sob. “No!”

He removed the back of the frame to uncover the slip of paper that had Prompto’s name written down in his own script and bound the two together. This, Noct held with care, heeding the blonde’s words to always keep it safe. “Prompto, come to me!” Noctis pleaded desperately.

He started to shake with grief; legs unable to support him, Noctis fell to his knees and slumped against the side of his bed, shutting his eyes tightly as the cries for the youkai went unanswered. “How could this happen,” Noct bowed his head, gritting his teeth against the pain throbbing in his chest. “Prom.”

Prompto sat pressed against Noctis’ side, tears of his own painting his cheeks. “I’m here, Noct,” he consoled, not letting up his affection for a second even though he couldn’t be heard. He promised Noctis that he would still be his familiar even in the case of Noct losing the sight, and he meant it.

He would still wake up early to get started on breakfast and to make sure Noctis got up on time; he would have to set an alarm, as gentle words and touches would no longer work, but he would do it. He would still hold Noct’s hand when it was offered to him, still sit by his side like he was now. He would still go on leisurely walks through town or in his own neck of the woods, still talk to him about anything and everything. He would still go to sleep beside Noct every night, pressed up to his back, arms around his waist, leaving kisses on his neck.

Prompto would do all of this and more to remind Noctis that he wasn’t alone.

“I’m right here, Noct,” the youkai pressed a hand against Noctis’ chest, over his heart. Without knowing it, Noct laid a hand on top of it, clutching his fingers into his shirt and weaving his fingers with Prompto’s. The blonde rested his chin on Noct’s shoulder, speaking softly against his ear:

“ _I’ll always be right here._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> !!! I'm sorry, please don't hate me. I promise I make things better.
> 
> Chapter title comes from the song [Birdie by illion](https://open.spotify.com/track/3LDlcU2tGKX9dE1wljCkky), which I think encompasses the feeling of this story perfectly.


	10. You Again: Part Three

The first person that Noctis called was Luna. She was the only person he knew who could possibly understand what he was experiencing at that moment. He did a poor job of controlling his voice over the phone, and it hurried her solitary arrival.

She let herself in and found him by his bed. Taking his hands in hers, she guided him off the floor and onto the bed once she saw how drained he was. Luna recalled the moment she realized she had lost the ability—how devastating it was to lose that part of herself, and it was a large enough task for her to tell Noctis what she would have wanted to hear. It was impossible to add in the fact that Noct could no longer see the man he loved.

“You know he’s still here,” Luna said, perched on the edge of the mattress next to him, her thumb slowly running soothing circles into the back of his hand. “I imagine he’s next to you right now, just as upset as you are. I’m sure you remember how Prompto held onto my handkerchief for a decade, waiting for me to visit so he could give it back himself? He always keeps his promises, and his promise to you, to stay by your side through anything, is no exception.

“I’m going to grab you a glass of water. Take a moment and say something to him. I’m sure he’d like to hear from you.”

Luna left his room, shutting the door to give him some space to talk. “I know you’re here too,” Noctis said through a voice strained from use. “That’s what hurts the most—I _know_ you’re here, Prom, and I can’t see you. I can’t hear you. I can’t touch you.” Noct had to stop for a second to press the heels of his hands against his eyes to stem the stinging of fresh tears. “And I also know… that I can talk and you’ll still hear me. That you need me to talk so you know that I haven’t forgotten you.

“So I will—I’ll never stop talking. I’ll never stop offering my hand to you,” and to prove his point, Noctis laid his hand out on the bed, closing around another that was there, but couldn’t be felt by him. But Noct knew that Prompto could feel it. “I’ll never release our contract. And I’ll never stop loving you, Prompto.”

Luna came back with the water that Noct made sure to drink. Nothing more was said until the glass was half-drained, and Luna asked if he wanted to stay at her home for the day, maybe stay the night so that he wouldn’t be alone for now. “But I’m not alone, am I?” Noct gave a pained, but genuine, grin. “Thank you for coming over, Luna. I really appreciate your help. I know what I have to do going forward now, and I want to get started with this new normal as soon as possible.”

“If you change your mind, my door will be open to you and Prompto both.” She tucked a long strand of his hair behind an ear, like Noct had seen her do with her children. “Ignis was just about to leave when you called, and he sounded concerned when I was rushing out to come here. I didn’t tell him what had happened, but I’m sure he’ll start to hover if you don’t break the news soon.”

“Thanks for the discretion. I’ll tell him and Gladio soon—maybe not today. I just… need to cope today.”

She nodded, “I understand. I couldn’t leave the house for a few days after I lost the sight. Nyx stayed with me, and I told him that I didn’t want to see the world without youkai.” Luna tried to dismiss her past behavior with a shake of her head, but the attempt ended up being half-hearted. “Maybe it was a bit dramatic, but it was how I felt.”

“I know what you mean.”

Luna got to her feet, “I’ll keep my phone on me, so call if you need anything else. Keep drinking water, get plenty of rest… And Prompto, I know I don’t need to remind you, but take care of him.”

Noctis thanked Luna one more time before she showed herself out. He curled onto his side to face Prompto’s half of the bed. His eyes went to the window beyond it before he refocused on the blonde’s pillow. “You’re always the one taking care of me,” Noct whispered fondly. “I’m sorry it can’t ever be the other way around.”

Without realizing it, Noctis drifted off to sleep. He woke up when he heard the TV switched on loudly, and he could smell the makings of dinner. It pulled on his heart to know that he would step out of his room and see only traces of the youkai left for him. But those traces were the only thing getting him out of bed, because it meant they were still together.

The slowest six weeks of Noct’s life went on after that.

Noctis groaned at the sound of the alarm the day that began week seven—like he did every morning. He hadn’t needed to use one since Prompto became his familiar, for the youkai took it upon himself to wake Noct up. Noctis shut off the alarm clock with more force than necessary, thinking about how different this morning was from the ones of the past left him cold.

He pulled the covers up to his chin and closed his eyes to go back asleep, not wanting to replay their loss all over again. An eye cracked open, though, when Noct noticed a notepad laying on the nightstand that was not there before. He lifted it up to read a hasty scrawl: _Rise and shine! ♡_

He covered his eyes with the pad, trying hard not to be visibly upset. Prompto was doing everything he could to maintain any semblance of their normalcy, and Noctis knew that he needed to do his part too. “Morning, Prompto,” he greeted and pushed the blankets off his body. Noct didn’t want Prompto to be the only one putting in the effort, and he got himself to his feet.

The last thing Noctis wanted to do was pretend everything was fine. He wanted to call in sick, but he knew he couldn’t. He had tried before, after he informed Gladio of what happened, but anytime Noctis skipped out, Gladio would be there to pound on his door until he came out.

Noctis sat at the table to eat the breakfast laid out for him and complimented, “Looks good.” It tasted good too, like it always did. For a moment, Noct closed his eyes and imagined how his blonde must look, sitting in the chair next to him—head placed in both hands as he beamed brightly, swaying lightly back and forth as he talked about wanting to visit the woods that day. It was only a guess as to what Prompto might do, but Noctis said anyway, “If you go out, take some pictures for me.”

When Prompto had started to stay with him, Noctis had known without being told that the blonde had a touch of homesickness. They would walk through the woods as often as they could, but one day, Noct decided to take out his phone and take pictures of parts of it. _“So that you can see it whenever you want,”_ he had explained.

Prompto was fascinated, and he started to ask Noctis to take pictures of a myriad of other things in town, around the school; there was also a cache of photos featuring the two of them. Eventually, Noct got an inexpensive camera for Prompto to use on his own.

The photos he took for himself were much the same as what he had asked Noctis to take, but the composition was on another level. He looked forward to looking through Prompto’s pictures whenever he had more to share.

By the time Noctis was about to head out, he noticed the notepad had been moved to the table. Underneath the wake-up message, Prompto had drawn a camera with the effect of the flash going off.

He didn’t suppress his smile, “Have fun. I love you. I’ll see you when I get back.” Once outside, Noctis glanced at the roof, eyes roving for the other youkai he wouldn’t see anymore. He did suppress his frustrated sigh, “Look after him while I’m gone.”

Noctis had effectively distanced himself from everyone he knew for the last several weeks. They gave him space in the beginning, but they were gradually reeling him back into the social group. He didn’t like that he was avoiding them, but he knew of no other way to cope.

The one Noct felt the worst about was putting off seeing Cor. He had postponed dinner at Cor’s for as long as he could—until today, when his guardian cornered him at work, asked him questions that were just shy of an interrogation, before offering dinner that evening. Noctis was too worn out to ask for another rain check.

Cor had gotten off work earlier than Noctis that day, and he was there to welcome Noct once he came over. Dinner was nearly ready, and Noct did his part by setting the table. It was almost just like old times, he mused, and then his simper fell. _Almost._

“Did something happen, Noctis?” Cor asked, now that Noctis had no way of avoiding him further. “Whenever I passed you today, you looked a little out of it.”

Noctis drew in a breath before he impulsively said, _“I’m fine,”_ but before the words came out, he stopped. He had kept his ability a secret from Cor to keep himself out of trouble when he was a teenager. Now though, he had no reason to lie—he couldn’t see them anymore. He could finally come clean.

Just as Cor repeated his name to get his attention, Noctis started vaguely, “I lost something recently. Something important to me.”

“What did you lose?”

He knew he was all over the place, but Noctis answered with a question, “You remember when I was a kid—a little kid, living with the Scientias? They sent me away because I said I could see things.”

Cor set his cutlery down and paid Noctis his full attention, “I remember.”

“That’s why I bounced from home to home. I’d say I could see things, and then myself or my surroundings would get messed up; even without saying it, things were wrecked, and I’d take the blame because I learned that no one else could see them.

“I used to hate it. So much. It wasn’t until after I came back here that things started to change. I was no longer scared of what I could see, but I was still scared that if I told anyone, history would repeat itself.” Noctis steadied himself with a breath, “But it doesn’t matter anymore, because I can’t see them anymore.”

Cor was characteristically silent, his stare giving away none of his thoughts. Noct felt numb in the time between his last word and Cor’s first. “I was as confused as everyone else when you were young,” he explained. “I don’t mean this badly, but I always knew there was something about you. I called it plain old misfortune until you started to live here, and eventually I could hear you talking to yourself in other rooms—when you probably thought I couldn’t hear.”

Noctis was stricken by the statement, but Cor continued, “Hearing that, and remembering how you acted as a kid, not to mention the manner in which you vaguely explained how the last foster home you stayed in was damaged—all of it tipped me off to something. I didn’t know what that _something_ was until I recalled a time when Ignis’ dad told me that Ignis had asked him about youkai, and how it sounded like something you would say.”

“You knew… and you never confronted me about it?”

“I figured if my hunch was correct, you’d tell me on your own one day. Guess that day’s today.”

Noctis had to cover his eyes with the onslaught of emotions he had. “You knew, and you never…” _Kicked me out,_ was the first completion he thought of, but didn’t say; _stopped caring for me,_ was the second.

“I knew,” Cor said earnestly. “And I think your dad might’ve known too—well, it’s more likely that he knew of the _possibility_ that you could see things.”

Noct raised his head, “What? A-Are you saying that he could see youkai too?”

“If he could, he never told me,” Cor shrugged, “but he had some belongings that I came across when we were sorting out your house, after the accident. They should still be in your attic. I know you said you can no longer see youkai, but if it’s still a topic of interest for you…”

“It is. I—Cor, I…” he was having trouble finding the words, but he knew they were important, so he made himself keep going. “I will never be able to thank you enough for everything.”

Cor patted the hand that Noctis had left lying on the table, “There’s no need for you to pay me back, Noctis. All I wanted was for you to grow up happily, and seeing that has been a reward in and of itself.”

_His father._ Noctis walked home a little faster than his usual sluggish pace. He had never even been up into the attic of his home since moving in; a fact that now left him feeling foolish. He was also kicking himself for not confiding in Cor sooner—not just in these last several weeks, but for his whole life. Even as a kid, Noctis was probably more relieved to be left at Cor’s door than the person who dropped him off there. He never should have assumed that Cor would be like all the others, but the time for regrets was not now.

When he got home, Noctis saw Prompto’s camera on the coffee table with a note beside it: _I took a lot today!_ He smiled and lowered himself onto the couch, camera in hand. The urgency he felt to comb through the attic faded in light of time with Prompto.

He turned the device on and went to the saved photos. Prompto had already scrolled back to the first one he took that day, which was of Noctis that morning, probably shortly after mentioning photography. A handful of the town or townsfolk, students walking down the road to Noct’s old school, and dozens of nature photos. Plenty featured animals, mostly birds, while others were of nothing but verdure.

“Beautiful as ever,” Noct said once he got to the end. “I had a good time at Cor’s today—it couldn’t have been better, actually. I told him I could see youkai—or used to, and… and he pretty much told me he already knew.” He let himself exhale a breathy laugh and laid his head on the back of the couch. “He could hear me talking to myself when I talked to you at home. Bu that’s not even the craziest thing; he said that he left some things of my dad’s in the attic. Things about youkai, and I don’t wanna get my hopes up, but… I have to look.”

Without another word, Noctis grabbed a flashlight and went to the hallway. He pulled down the ladder to the attic and climbed up; there were only a few boxes that remained, forgotten over two decades. Noct sat down in front of one, opened it up, and started to dig.

The memorabilia he found were things that could not be given away, but would have been better left alone until Noct was old enough to appreciate it. His favorite find in the first box was a framed photo of his parents’ wedding. He had so few pictures of his mom and dad together, so Noct set it aside to bring it back into the house.

Halfway through the second box, his eyes began to strain from the minimal lighting and the late hour. It took him a while to notice the last box was being messed with. Once it occurred a couple more times, Noctis slid the light closer to his other side to be between him and Prompto.

Noct rubbed his eyes with a sigh as he got to the bottom. With nothing in the first two, the one Prompto was in had to be the one. “Find anything?” he asked before pulling his hand from his face. His focus was instantly pulled to the book that was suddenly sitting in front of the flashlight, illuminating the blank cover. “I’ll take that as a yes,” Noct muttered and opened to the first page.

His and Ignis’ late relatives put their names in this book as well—a promising start. The contents resembled the spell book that was in Ignis’ possession, and Noct felt his heartbeat quicken. “Specs is gonna love this,” he spoke to Prompto. “I’ll love it, too, if it gives me a way to see you again.”

He scanned each page meticulously, not allowing himself to miss a single detail. He deciphered the painfully eloquent script, and he examined every symbol in each rune drawn into the page like Ignis had done to the other book—to see if they could construct their own spell. The attempt had been beyond them before, and as Noctis began to run out of new pages, his excitement was replaced with melancholy.

The back cover was slammed shut, and Noctis sat back, running his hands through his hair and gripping tightly. “I’m sorry, Prom,” he lamented, head down. “I got our hopes up for nothing. I know I should just accept it by now, but it’s not the same anymore. It’ll never _be_ the same, and I _miss_ you. And you’ve been trying so hard to make it easier on me, and I’ve got no idea how hard it really is on you. I couldn’t—What’s this?”

On his lap appeared a single leaf of paper, worn and folded into quarters. He unfolded it to reveal a letter addressed to his relative, and it read as an apology for not being able to find the item that he had been searching for. “Why would he be looking for an old yukata?” Noct wondered aloud. “And why would it be kept in that box? Prompto, can you see any more letters in there—? Oh, you already have.”

A pile had appeared at his feet, and Noct read the dates in each heading to read them chronologically. He pieced together what it was, and he almost couldn’t believe it. “P-Prom… have you read these already?” Noct took the handful of stationery out of the attic and into better lighting, just to be sure he was reading correctly.

The words didn’t change in between the attic and the living room, and the letters shook in Noctis’ hands. He knew the hour was too late to bring anyone else in on the discovery tonight, but he promised, “I’ll tell the others first thing tomorrow. This yukata… we’ll find it.”

Noctis brought every letter that his ancestor had received regarding the item to work with him the next day. He told Gladio that he had something to discuss, and they planned to go to Gladio’s that evening to bring Ignis in.

“A yukata made with a dye containing certain properties,” Ignis said to the other two in the living room, “that if worn by a youkai, makes them visible to human eyes. Well, if such a thing exists, it would certainly solve your dilemma.”

“Great-Great Grandpa Caelum was looking for it,” Noct insisted, “so it had to be somewhere, right?”

“Says here the person he had lookin’ for it never found it,” Gladio waved the last letter in the air.

“Maybe it wasn’t in the place they were searching, but that doesn’t mean it’s not real.”

Ignis pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, “Eliminating the one place it isn’t is hardly a good starting point in our own search.”

Noct clutched the letters he had in hand, “This is all we have to go off of. I can’t give up before I’ve even started…”

“Can anybody read the signature at the bottom?” Gladio squinted at the indiscernible characters.

“No,” Noct replied. “Why does it matter, anyway?”

“Because maybe whoever was sent to retrieve the yukata ripped Great-Great Grandpa Caelum off. They coulda stolen it for themselves.”

Ignis entertained the idea, “And the ability runs in families. Their living relatives might have something we could use to track it down.” He took up a letter to study the signature himself.

Noctis stared at the last name until he started to believe that the name wasn’t written in any human language. With a tired sigh, he looked away just as Gladio spoke up, “Hey… does the first name kinda look familiar?”

“What are you talking about?” Noct asked petulantly. He hadn’t been paying attention to the first name since it wouldn’t help much to track down a family, but the letters came a little easier to read. It began with an L, and he could see an F in the middle and a Y towards the end.“Wait a second…”

Ignis was the one to suggest, “Perhaps we should ask Ms. Lunafreya if she is named after a family member.”

Noct gathered the letters in Gladio and Ignis’ hands and headed for the door with hardly a goodbye. The distance between their house and the Ulrics’ never felt as great as it did when Noctis tried to run it that evening. He rang the doorbell and took a couple of steadying breaths while he waited.

Nyx answered, and Noct apologized, “Sorry for dropping by unannounced.”

“No worries,” the other responded and stepped aside, letting Noct enter. “It’s good to see you. Been wondering how you were since Luna told me about…” He gave a half-hearted shrug as he trailed off.

“I’ve been getting by. It kinda has to do with why I’m here. Mind if I talk to Luna about something?”

“‘Course not,” Nyx clasped a hand on Noctis’ shoulder to guide him to the living room, where Luna was with the kids. He grinned at his wife, “You’ve got a visitor.”

Luna’s face lit up, “What a pleasant surprise.” She rose from the couch to move closer. “I hope you’ve been doing well.”

“As well as I can,” Noct grumbled with sincerity. “But you might be able to help me with something.”

They moved to the dining room to speak in private, and Noctis brought Luna up to speed before showing her the letters—more specifically, the signature they bore. “That’s my great aunt’s name,” Luna marveled. “She wasn’t raised with my grandmother, but with extended family for financial reasons; they hardly knew each other. My mother moved to this town because she learned this is where her aunt had moved to, but she had passed by the time Mother got here.

“The house I grew up in, where Ravus still lives, was the one my great aunt retired in. Though, if she was involved with youkai and had anything related to it in her home at the time of her death, I don’t know why my mother would have never told me about it.”

“Well, I’m looking for a yukata, which I’m assuming wouldn’t have _youkai_ written all over it. Would Ravus let me look through anything that might have belonged to your great aunt?”

Luna nodded affirmatively, “I’ll ask him. I don’t think he’d have a problem with it if you came over tomorrow, it being the weekend. I’ll be sure to let you know.”

Noctis let out the breath he was holding. Another step closer. “Thank you, Luna.”

“I’m glad to help. And if I’m being honest, I’m not doing this _solely_ for you.” She allowed a hint of a smile to show, “I myself would like to see Prompto again.”

For the first time, Noct realized that if their search ended with success, he wouldn’t be the only one able to see the youkai. The yukata would give Prompto a foothold in the human world, much like Noct’s ability once gave him a foothold with youkai. Somehow, the need to find the garment felt that much more important than it did a moment before.

When Noctis returned home, he relayed everything to Prompto, revelation and all. The blonde would be as good as human, and he could be properly introduced to the people in their lives. Noct was sure Prompto would want nothing more than that. Soon, it would be a reality.

_Soon_ couldn’t come soon enough.

Noctis was woken up by the alarm even on the weekend, though Prompto mercifully rolled it back by a few hours. Today was the one day he was fine getting up on time, because he awoke to a text from Luna stating that Ravus would be available to let him into the house at any time.

His morning routine was done faster than usual, more out of nerves than excitement. Noct kept telling himself that there was always the chance that nothing would come of this search, or that it might lead him onto a longer trail—perhaps one that would be impossible to complete. He knew there were more bad endings than good to consider, and he considered them all, but the fear of failure had no place in his heart.

Ravus was there to greet him, as Luna had said. “Ah, there you are,” the older man said.

“Hey,” Noctis gave a singular nod, “thanks for letting me do this.”

“I’ll never forget how distraught my sister was when it happened to her; I imagine it’s been no different for you,” Ravus waved away Noct’s pleasantries. “Far be it from me to stand in your way. Come on in—everyone else is already in the living room.”

Noctis frowned his brow, “Everyone else?”

His question was answered once he followed Ravus into his home and saw for himself what he meant. Luna, Nyx, Gladio, and Ignis were there, in a mess of clutter that had been dragged into the main part of the house. “I’m sure you don’t mind the extra hands,” Ravus commented. “Turns out my mother kept more of my great aunt’s things than I would have thought.”

“We’ve been going through it for the better part of an hour,” Luna added, “but it’ll probably take another to get through everything.”

“Nothing as of yet points to her involvement with either of our relatives,” Ignis said.

“But there’s gotta be somethin’ buried here that points in the right direction,” Gladio muttered while flipping through a photo album. 

“Whatever that something is,” Nyx assured, “we’ll find it.”

Ravus moved to join the group before Noctis did. The younger was rendered immobile for a good, long moment as he took in the sight of his friends— _his friends,_ going to such lengths with him. All of this because they understood his desire to make Prompto tangible, a being that only one of them had physically seen before. The rest were relying on belief—belief in _Noctis,_ and when he thought of that compared to where he started on his first day back in town, Noctis couldn’t help but feel the prickling of tears in the corners of his eyes.

“You look like you did the day I told you I knew about youkai,” Gladio jabbed. “You gonna come help us, or what?”

Without another word on his part, Noctis took a spot on the floor and joined the fray.

The scouring carried on in focused silence; everyone tried to find the balance between searching thoroughly while making a conceded effort not to make a bigger mess than necessary. The discard piles kept piling up as Noctis reached the bottom of the trunk in front of him.

Among the few items left, Noct grabbed what he thought to be a jewelry box. It was disappointingly empty, but as he felt along the box to be sure, he pressed on the inside of the lid; when his fingers gave way once more, Noct had a moment of panic when the top fell apart. He was ready to apologize for breaking the object, and then he noticed what had fallen with it.

An old envelope had been hidden inside the lid, and Noct’s heart picked up when he felt a letter within. He wanted to read it to himself before he brought it to everyone’s attention; it was addressed to the great aunt, and Noct had to make himself read properly after catching sight of the word _yukata._

“Hey, Gladio,” Noctis broke the silence, “I think you were right about Great-Great Grandpa Caelum getting ripped off.”

He waved the letter out in the open, and Ignis reached over for it. “It’s unsigned,” Ignis pointed out, “but whoever sent this interfered with your great-great-grandfather’s efforts to obtain this yukata.”

“They told Great Aunt Lunafreya to keep it for herself, so that it wouldn’t ‘fall into the wrong hands,’” Gladio read over his shoulder, then he directed his attention to Ravus and Luna. “You wouldn’t happen to have an indigo yukata lying around, would ya?”

The siblings shared a look between them. “Did you say indigo?” Ravus clarified.

Noctis was floored, “Do you actually know where one is?”

“Mother had two yukata she would wear,” Luna said. “I took her white one for myself, but she had another. Do you still have it, Ravus?”

Her brother nodded, “I’ve kept it where she last stored it. Is it the yukata we’re looking for?”

“Won’t know until we try it,” Noct said, letting it sink in that it was under the same roof as him. He sat still for a moment while those around him began to clean up. Ravus had gone to retrieve the yukata, and Noct did his part to put everything back as he found it. 

Nyx was the one to ask Luna, “So, your mom would occasionally wear a yukata meant to make youkai visible?”

Luna laughed airily, “I suppose so, though she might not have known of its properties, only that it once belonged to her aunt.” She smiled pensively, “I’m glad it’s been found. If there’s been so much correspondence over its capabilities, then they must hold true.”

Noctis felt a tightness in his throat and nodded. That was what he was hoping for.

Ravus came back when the last of the items were being put back. Noct stood before him, waiting to accept the yukata from him. “Before I just take it and run,” he wanted to be sure, “are you both okay with giving it to Prompto? I mean, it wasn’t just gathering dust somewhere; it was your mom’s.”

“Noctis,” Luna gave him a doting look, “if Mother were here, she would have handed it over to you before you could even ask that question. She always was a romantic. Now go on home and give it to Prompto—we’ll finish up here and wait for our invitations to the reunion.”

Noct gave a sweeping glance over everyone that surrounded him. The feeling he had when he first walked in had rushed back, and he found himself at a loss for words. “Thank you, for everything,” Noct said poignantly, and he hoped they understood the true weight behind his thanks. “You guys—are the best.”

His breath came short for the entire fast-paced walk home. It still hadn’t returned to him by the time he stepped inside the house and closed the door behind him. “I don’t know if you were there at Ravus’,” Noct said, “but if you weren’t… we found it.”

Noct set all of the pieces for the yukata across the couch. “I guess, once you put it on, we’ll know,” he stated further. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so scared of something not working out. Noctis suddenly felt like he couldn’t stand the thought of watching the yukata disappear from his sight, with no Prompto to show for it. Like he was on autopilot, Noctis took long steps towards his room, with the parting words, “I’ll just… wait in here.”

He shut the door and tried to steel his nerves. His hands were shaking, so he tried to hold them steady without any luck; Noct sat on the bed with a long, drawn-out exhale, burying his head in his hands. He had been telling himself the whole time to consider that it might not work—he hadn’t expected it to be so difficult to accept now that the moment was here.

Noctis wanted to see Prompto’s face, hear his voice, hold him close. He wanted to be surrounded by the blonde’s laughter, listen about his day, go on walks hand in hand. He wanted things back to normal. He wanted—

“N-Noct?”

He looked up, and his breath left him again. Their eyes met, and both shades of blue began to glisten with tears. Noct leapt up and wrapped his arms around Prompto’s shoulders, who squeezed the life out of him back. “Prompto,” the man breathed, “you’re here.”

“I never left,” the youkai sniffed with his face buried in Noct’s shoulder. “You know that.”

A hand found itself in Prompto’s hair, and Noctis nodded, “Yeah, I know.”

Prompto lifted his head to look Noctis in the eye, “Thank you—for not giving up. This whole time, I watched you struggle to accept what happened, and I got worried when you said you might be able to find something to help us. I thought you were setting yourself up to be hurt more, but I didn’t stop you because… I wanted to find something too.”

Noct quieted him with the feel of his lips. “You don’t have to apologize for letting me look, ‘cause even if you let me know you didn’t want me to do it—I would’ve done it anyways.” That eased the blonde back into a smile. “I told you I wouldn’t let you down, didn’t I?”

Prompto brushed away stray tears as he nodded and added, “And that we’ll always have each other.”

Noctis saw that the adoration in those violet-blue eyes ran deep, deep enough to drown in. And in that moment of observation, there was no doubt that Prompto truly was a sight to behold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's no way I could've ever ended it while leaving those two apart. ♥
> 
> We made it! A huge thank you to all of you for reading, and for leaving comments, kudos, bookmarks! You've all made the sharing process as much fun as the writing process. ^^


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